The Kindergarten Gifts
Friedrich Froebel, after observing and studying thoughtfully the play and playthings of little children, selected from among these, and arranged in logical order, a certain series which should help develop the little one in mind, body, and spirit through childlike play. This series of related playthings is known as the kindergarten "gifts."
All children of all races play ball, and the first kindergarten gift to be given, even to a very little child, consists of six soft worsted balls in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
The second gift is an oblong box containing a wooden ball or "sphere," a cube, and a cylinder, with several slender axles and beams to assist in the little plays.
The third gift is a box containing a two-inch cube divided horizontally and vertically into eight one-inch cubes.
The fourth gift is a similar cube divided horizontally into eight oblong blocks.
The fifth gift is evolved from the preceding ones and is a five-inch cube divided into inch cubes, half cubes, and quarter cubes.
The sixth gift is a cube of the same size divided so that it contains cubes, oblongs, and plinths.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gifts are derived from the geometrical solids.
The seventh gift is derived from the geometrical surfaces, and consists of wooden tablets in shapes of circles, squares, triangles, etc.
The eighth gift represents the geometrical line and is made up of wooden sticks in lengths of one, two, three, four, five, and six inches. They may be had in two thicknesses and either colored or uncolored.
The ninth gift, derived from the edge of the circle, consists of metal rings, half rings, and quarter rings, in several sizes.
The tenth gift, derived from the geometric point, is the lentil.
Kindergartners differ as to the amount of emphasis to be placed upon the geometric side of the "gifts," and as to whether or not they should always be presented in a certain logical order. To appreciate their full value the mother must read her Froebel or take a kindergarten course. We give below some simple methods of using them, from which the child will derive both pleasure and benefit. What follows should be entirely clear, especially if the mother has the "gifts" before her as she reads.
First Gift Balls (Rubber ball 1½ inches in diameter, wool in six primary colors, crochet-hook)
These balls can be made by taking a rubber ball and crocheting around it a case of worsted; or a case can be crocheted and then stuffed with loose wool or cotton. In the latter case to insure a good shape it is well to crochet over a ball till nearly finished; then take the rubber ball out and fill with the cotton or wool and then complete the ball. Then crochet a string about eight inches long and attach to the ball, for suspending it. The ball can then be swung, raised, lowered, made to hop like a bird, swing like a pendulum, revolve rapidly like a wheel. The child may play that it is a bucket being raised or lowered. See how steadily he can raise it.
The balls lend themselves to many color games.
1. Place them in a row, let one child blind his eyes, another one removes one of the balls and the first one, opening his eyes, tries to think which one is missing.
2. Let children observe the colors through a glass prism and try to arrange balls in similar order. Ask child if he can tell which colors are uppermost in the rainbow, the cold or the warm ones.
3. If the mother is sewing on a colored dress, let the child try to pick out the ball resembling it in color.
4. Play hiding the ball, as in hide the thimble.
5. Play store, letting him tell you which ball will best represent a lemon, an orange, a red apple, etc.
Second Gift Plays
Throughout his life, Froebel felt with keen pain all that was discordant or inharmonious in human society. Beneath all differences and misunderstandings lay, he believed, the possibility of adjustment, or reconciliation. Relations most strained might be brought into harmonious union. This great idea is typified by the second gift. The hard wooden sphere is round, curved from all points of view, with no angles or edges, and is easily moved. The cube is a complete contrast to the sphere, inasmuch as it stands firmly, has flat faces, angles, and edges. The cylinder combines the characteristics and possibilities of the other two. It has flat faces as well as a curved one, and can both stand and roll. It forms a bond of connection between the other two which at first sight seem irreconcilable.
Three of these forms have small staples inserted in side, edge, and angle so that they may be suspended, swung, and revolved. There are also perforations through each one admitting the insertion of the axles, when needed for certain plays.
If an axle be put through cube or cylinder and it be revolved rapidly, you can see, in the swift moving figure, the spirit, as it were, of the other forms—an experiment fascinating to young and old.
A little imagination will turn the box in which these blocks come, into a boat, car, engine, etc., pins, matches, tacks, wire, etc., being called in as extras.
The little wooden beam may be placed across, held up by the axles and upon this the blocks may be suspended as objects for sale in a store.
The box with its cover may be used to illustrate the three primary mechanical principles, the pulley, or wheel, the inclined plane, and the lever. The pulley is made by placing the cylinder on an axle, tying a little weight to one end of a cord and drawing it up over the cylinder. Let the child play the weight is a bucket of water being drawn up from a well.
Play loading a boat and use the cover for a plank, inclined from the deck to the ground, up which to roll a barrel (the cylinder).
Play that the cube is a heavy piano box and show how to raise it by using a stick as a lever.
The students of a kindergarten training school made fine derrick cranes with this box of blocks, and no two were exactly alike.
Games with Second Gift Ball
1. Let children sit crossed-legged on the floor in a circle and let one child roll the ball across to another child. He in turn rolls it straight over to some other child and so on.
2. Let one child sit in the center of a circle and roll the ball to each child in turn, who rolls it back to him.
3. Let several children stand in the center of a ring and try to catch the ball as it rolls swiftly by.
4. Let children stand in center and try to avoid being touched by the ball as it rolls along.
5. Draw a circle on the floor and let the children try in turn to so roll the ball that it will stop inside of the ring.
6. Place the cube in the center of the circle. Put the cylinder on top of the cube and balance the sphere carefully upon the cylinder. Then let the children try to hit this target with another ball.
Many are the lessons in self-control, fair play, patience and kindness which the children practice in playing these simple games, in addition to the physical exercise and training in alertness, in seeing correctly and in acting quickly.
Second Gift Beads
Mrs. Hailmann, a kindergarten training teacher, some years ago added to the "gifts" the so-called "second gift beads," much loved by wee children.
These are perforated wooden beads in shape of the sphere, cube and cylinder. They come in two sizes and may be had in colors or uncolored. A shoe lace comes with them for stringing.
In delightful plays with these beads the child learns to distinguish form and color, and has practice in simple designing.
At first let him have a number of different kinds and let him thread them as he pleases. Observe him and see if, of his own initiative, he will distinguish either form or color. After a while he will probably, without suggestion, begin to string them in some sort of order—one sphere, one cube, one sphere, one cube, etc. Two spheres, two cubes, two cylinders, etc.
When he begins to see differences, give him two forms only and let him arrange. Later give him others. Too many at first will be confusing.
Besides the stringing, these beads may be used in other ways. Make a fence by putting two cubes and a sphere, one on top of the other for a post, and then join these to similar posts by running toothpicks or burnt matches through the perforations.
Place cubes and cylinders, one on top of another, and use as tree box with tiny twig or elderberry branch for tree. If making a toy village of blocks or cardboard, these little beads will make good lampposts.
The Pegboard
The pegboard, an additional gift devised by Mrs. Alice H. Putnam, can also be had in two sizes, the large one to be preferred. The board is perforated with holes at regular intervals and is accompanied with colored pegs, which the child loves to insert in the openings.
He may arrange them in ranks for soldiers, according to color, two and two, or four and four, learning thus to count.
A flower-bed with red flowers in one corner and green bushes in another may be made.
He may play that the pegs are kindergarten children playing follow the leader, some with red dresses, some with blue waists, etc.
A birthday cake with candles may be represented, or a line of telegraph poles, if father has gone on a journey, and over the imaginary wires a message may be sent.
The pegboard is also loved by very young children.
Plays with the Other Gifts
The third gift cubes may be built by the little child into houses, furniture, wagons, etc. It is very simple, and yet when handling it the child learns something of form and number and gains skill with his tiny hands.
The fourth gift expresses "proportion." Each block is twice the length of those in the preceding gift and half as high. He can build with it objects impossible with the first divided cube. The two may often be used in conjunction.
The fifth gift requires a decided increase in the child's powers of coördination. He can make with it a very great variety of objects. Only a kindergartner can appreciate its many possibilities.
The sixth gift lends itself peculiarly to buildings of a certain type. It expresses less strength and more grace than the preceding ones.
In playing with these "gifts" under direction of a teacher, the child, if making the grocery store, proceeds to make the counter, the scales, the money desk, etc., in succession, and is not allowed to take the first structure apart in disorderly fashion and then make the next one, but is supposed to build the counter, or other article, by gradually transforming the thing already made, removing the blocks in ones, or twos, or threes in an orderly way. Each block is supposed to have some relation to the whole. For instance if a shoe store has been made and one unused block remains, it may represent the footstool used in such a store.
Froebel thought in this way through simple play to help the child little by little to feel the relatedness of all life.
Seventh Gift Plays
With the seventh gift tablets the child makes designs or "beauty forms," becoming familiar with certain geometrical forms and exercising his powers of invention in pleasing design.
In using the tablets, which are in both light and dark stains, do not give too many at first. Give him for instance one circle, representing a picture of a ball, and let him lay a row of such for a frieze design for a gymnasium.
Give a circle and four squares, and let him place one above, one below, one to the right and one to the left, touching the circle. This will suggest a unit for a tile for a playroom fireplace.
Tell him to change the top square so that its angle touches the circle; then change the lower one in the same way; then the right, then the left. This transformation gives an entirely new design.
The other tablets may be employed in the same way, the different kinds of triangles offering opportunity for much variety.
Eighth Gift Plays
The sticks may be used in representing designs in which the straight line prevails. The lines may be placed in vertical or horizontal position. Sticks may be arranged as soldiers, standing two and two in straight vertical lines; or as fences in horizontal position.
They may be classified as to length. Let the child sort them as wood for the woodpile, putting together those of same length. Or play he is in the store to buy a cane and sees those of different lengths, some for men, some for children.
For designing give the child four sticks of one length and let him make a square. Give him four of another length and let him make a larger square. Then with these eight sticks let him make two oblongs of the same size. Give him these exercises as puzzles, but do not let him play with the sticks until he gets nervous in trying to keep them in position.
Play With Lentils
These are necessarily few and simple. Let the child make circles, squares, etc., by putting the lentils in rows. He can also represent the mass of a tree's foliage by placing a number of the lentils in a mass.