The Study of Childhood
I—THE BABY
1. The Baby's Welcome to the Home—The mother's anticipation; the brothers' and sisters' anticipation; the intelligent mother: study of modern methods.
2. The Baby's Environment—The wardrobe; the hygienic nursery; the atmosphere of cheerfulness.
3. The Baby's Physical Development—The handicapped child (nerves, temper, defects); food; sleep; the out-of-door sleeping-room; the child and the doctor.
4. Reading from The Luxury of Children, by Martin.
Books to Consult—Oppenheim: The Development of the Child. S. H. Rowe: The Physical Nature of the Child and How to Study It.
Begin the discussion of the day with a paper on the Modern Science of Eugenics: How Far is It Practical? Have a Talk on the Spoiled Baby, over-fed, over-amused, over-indulged; contrast with one on The Normal Baby. Close with readings or recitations on Babyhood, poems from Eugene Field, Stevenson, and others.
II—SCHOOL
1. The Kindergarten—Its value to manners. Is it a good preparation for later work?
2. The Public School—Training children to regular habits of study. Dealing with individual difficulties. Desk-mates. Moral influence of child on child.
3. Parent and Teacher—Relations of interest and friendship. Mutual suggestions. The backward child.
4. The School and Health—Sanitation of the school. Danger of contagion (the individual drinking-cup, etc.). Watchfulness over sight and hearing. The out-of-doors school.
Books to Consult—Herbert Spencer: Education. Luther Burbank: Training of the Human Plant. J. Mark Baldwin: Mental Development in the Child and the Race. G. Stanley Hall: Aspects of Child Life and Education. Irving King: Psychology of Child Development.
The school life of the child should be discussed from the standpoint of both parent and teacher. The watchful care over the child's morals is an important topic. The child's home work, how much should be done; and at what hours, is a subject for discussion. The school dress of little girls, the tidiness of both boys and girls, school lunches, the plays of the noon-hour, are all suggestive. Beautifying the school-room with pictures, casts and flowers may well be considered.
III—PLAY AND PLAYMATES
1. The Place of Play in Child Life—The development of body and mind in infancy, childhood, and youth. Intelligent direction of play by parents and teachers. Cultivation of originality.
2. Outdoor Play—The building instinct: the sand-pile, miniature houses, practical play-houses, camps. Plays of imagination: Indians, pirates, hunters. Athletic games.
3. Indoor Play—Contests of intelligence and skill. Group games: anagrams, twenty questions, etc. Manual and educational plays.
4. Playmates—The parents' control. Ethics of play: honesty, courage, honor, etc. Moral and social training of play.
Books to Consult—Karl Groos: Play in Man. Newell: Games of American Children. Gomme: Children's Singing Games. Leland: Playground Technique and Playcraft.
Discuss the value of letting boys and girls grow up together as playmates. Athletic games for girls is also a good topic to take up. Play-rooms for children, with suggestions for the decoration of walls, treatment of floors, and furnishings may be discussed. Sunday plays for small children will be found full of interest. The growth of the provision for play for city children is treated in many magazines of recent date, with illustrations of playgrounds, garden spots, roof-gardens and the like.
IV—DISCIPLINE
1. The Trained Parent—Preparation for parenthood. Character and knowledge. Discussion of helpful books.
2. The Normal Child—The faults to be expected: forgetfulness, lack of cleanliness, lack of promptness, temper, etc. How shall we deal with the ordinary faults?
3. Special Faults—Disobedience, obstinacy, lack of self-control, dishonesty, lying. Discrimination as to seriousness. How far is imagination responsible for falsehood?
4. Punishments—Discuss the question: Is physical punishment ever allowable? Consider Abbott's theory of gentle measures. Fitting the punishment to the offense. The child's sense of justice. When are punishments outgrown?
Books to Consult—Jacob Abbott: Gentle Measures in the Management and Training of the Young. E. H. Abbott: On the Training of Parents. G. Stanley Hall: Youth: Its Education, Regimen, and Hygiene.
V—MORAL TRAINING
1. The Ideal of the Parent for the Child—Necessity of a definite plan in the parent's mind. Discussion of books that have helped.
2. Methods of Training—Story-telling and reading aloud. Books for the child. The value of hero-worship.
3. The Contagion of Character—Childhood's keen vision. Force of example versus reproof. The child as partner in the home work.
4. Special Training—Truthfulness. Chivalry and the spirit of honor. Purity. How shall the mystery of sex be taught to a child? Unselfishness.
Books to Consult—Felix Adler: Moral Instruction of Children. C. C. Everett: Ethics for Young Folks. W. T. Harris: Moral Education in the Public Schools. Horace Bushnell: Views of Christian Nurture.
The department of child-study most discussed to-day is that of sex education, and club women should certainly take it up. Consider its necessity, the age at which instruction should begin, and the person who should give it, the teacher scientifically, or the parent at home.
VI—MANNERS
1. Manners at Home—Table manners. How early should they be taught, and how? Self-control. Modesty. Consideration for servants and tradespeople. Courtesy to elders.
2. Manners to Playmates—Teasing and bullying. Must our boys fight? Should tale-bearing be encouraged? The spirit of honor and generosity. Courtesy between children.
3. Society Manners—Definite training in social conventions. The place of the dancing-school. The value of children's parties.
4. The Relation of Manners and Morals—Are American manners deteriorating? The teaching of manners by historic stories. Sympathy, the foundation of courtesy. Self-restraint, the essence of manners and morals.
Books to Consult—Gow: Good Morals and Gentle Manners. Wiggin: Lessons on Manners. Dewey: How to Teach Manners in the School-room.
A talk may follow the first paper, pointing out that kind treatment of animals, especially of pets, tends to teach children gentleness, sympathy, and consideration. A little paper might take up the subject of the modern ideals of manners.
VII—OCCUPATIONS
1. Reading—Direction by parents and librarians. To how much liberty in taste and choice is a child entitled? Lists of good books for children. Discussion: What good books can we suggest? What books shall we avoid: poorly written, over-sentimental, and with low ideals.
2. Gardening—The children's plot. Flowers and vegetables. Household rewards. Competition and prizes. The autumn exhibition. Children's books about gardening. Gardens for city children.
3. Care of Fowls and Animals—Moral value: sense of responsibility, kindness, practical sense. Raising of fowls for market. Ownership of animals: the lamb, the colt, the calf, the pig.
4. Household Work—Value of the regular task in teaching system, order, and punctuality. Housework for boys: care of rooms, cooking, and kitchen work. For girls: the normal routine made attractive. Reading from Blessed Be Drudgery, by Gannett and Jones.
5. Handicraft—The children's workroom and its furnishing. Work in wood, metal, plaster, and leather. Drawing, painting, embroidery, etc.
6. Music—Should all children be taught to play and sing?
Books to Consult—Gertrude Jekyll: Children and Gardens. Holton and Kimball: Games, Seat Work, and Sense Training Exercises. R. K. Row: Educational Meaning of Manual Arts and Industries.
Prepare in advance a discussion on the subject of children's earning money. Should they be paid for doing daily household duties, or not? Does earning money tend to make boys mercenary? Take up also occupations for invalid children and convalescents, and notice that handicraft is better than games for these.
VIII—THE CHILD AND MONEY
1. Sources of Supply—Gifts, earnings, and prizes.
2. The Question of the Allowance—At what age should a child have an allowance? What should it cover? How much liberty should a child have in using it?
3. Lessons in the Use of Money—Spending. Saving. Giving.
4. Benevolent Tendencies—How to cultivate the spirit. How to divide the money given. The chief objects to which to give.
5. The Ethical View—Responsibility for property. Honesty in acquiring, wisdom in using, generosity in giving.
Books to Consult—C. B. Burrell: The Mother's Book. J. W. Jenks: Life Questions for High School Boys. Julia W. Dewey: Lessons on Morals.
This is considered a mercenary age, and a discussion may be prepared on such subjects as these: How shall we keep our boys from becoming either extravagant or mercenary? How may our girls be taught to understand the value of money? What ought to be the relative emphasis on money in our home life?
IX—THE CHILD AND RELIGION
1. The Beginning of Religious Training—Prayers for children to use. Telling Bible stories. The children's grace at table. Children's questions about God and heaven: how shall they be answered?
2. The Child and the Church—The Sunday-school kindergarten and primary class. Suitable hymns for children. Children's societies. At what age should a child begin to attend church service?
3. Sunday Hours at Home—Need of cheerfulness and common sense. Sunday occupations: Sunday books, Sunday toys and games. Dramatizing Old Testament stories. Sunday, the father's opportunity. The twilight hour of song.
4. The Age of Development—Intellectual expansion and doubt. How shall we deal with this phase? The time of critical decision. How much influence should the parent exert?
Books to Consult—George Albert Coe: Education in Religion and Morals. George Hodges: Training of Children in Religion. Sir Oliver J. Lodge: Parent and Child. E. D. Starbuck: The Psychology of Religion. E. P. Saint John: Stories and Story Telling. Horace Bushnell: Christian Nurture.
The Sunday-night supper should have a large place in the life of the home. The children may prepare it alone or with slight assistance, and it will be found an excellent way of interesting them if they tire of the long afternoon. The subject of the memorizing of Scriptural passages and of hymns may be discussed, and personal experiences on this line may be given.
X—MODERN CHILD STUDY
1. The New Movement and Its Breadth—Interest among physicians, teachers, clergymen, psychologists, and parents. Some reference to the vast literature, encyclopedias, etc. Discussion of helpful books.
2. Physical—Study of food values for the individual baby and the growing child. Fresh air and sleeping outdoors. The outdoor kindergarten. Sensible clothing. Gymnastics for deficiencies.
3. Mental—Care against overstimulation. Interesting diaries of development. Coöperation between teacher and parent. Studying the child's individuality. Books for successive ages. Private versus public schools. What is an ideal education? Is it possible under ordinary conditions?
4. Moral and Religious—How are morals best taught? Books that help the parent and teacher. Individual problems (lying, etc.). Knowing our neighbors' children, their character and influence.
5. Practical Outcome—Mothers' clubs. Magazines of child culture. Increased place given to child life in the modern world. Are children too prominent in the home life?
Books to Consult—Mrs. M. F. Washburn: Study of Child Life. M. P. E. Groszmann: The Career of the Child. E. A. Kirkpatrick: Fundamentals of Child Study. W. B. Drummond: The Child, His Nature and Nurture.
The subject of mothers' congresses may be discussed: Are they practically helpful, or merely speculative? Present the topic of institutions for children, homes and asylums for orphans, for the blind, the crippled, the feeble-minded; also, children's courts and the Big Brother movement. Discuss at this meeting the question of adopting children.