The "Children's House" is the _environment_ which is offered to the
child that he may be given the opportunity of developing his
activities. This kind of school is not of a fixed type, but may vary
according to the financial resources at disposal and to the
opportunities afforded by the environment. It ought to be a real
house; that is to say, a set of rooms with a garden of which the
children are the masters. A garden which contains shelters is ideal,
because the children can play or sleep under them, and can also bring
their tables out to work or dine. In this way they may live almost
entirely in the open air, and are protected at the same time from rain
and sun.
The central and principal room of the building, often also the only
room at the disposal of the children, is the room for "intellectual
work." To this central room can be added other smaller rooms according
to the means and opportunities of the place: for example, a bathroom,
a dining-room, a little parlor or common-room, a room for manual work,
a gymnasium and rest-room.
The special characteristic of the equipment of these houses is that it
is adapted for children and not adults. They contain not only didactic
material specially fitted for the intellectual development of the
child, but also a complete equipment for the management of the
miniature family. The furniture is light so that the children can move
it about, and it is painted in some light color so that the children
can wash it with soap and water. There are low tables of various
sizes and shapes--square, rectangular and round, large and small. The
rectangular shape is the most common as two or more children can work
at it together. The seats are small wooden chairs, but there are also
small wicker armchairs and sofas.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.--CUPBOARD WITH APPARATUS.]
In the working-room there are two indispensable pieces of furniture.
One of these is a very long cupboard with large doors. (Fig. 1.) It is
very low so that a small child can set on the top of it small objects
such as mats, flowers, etc. Inside this cupboard is kept the didactic
material which is the common property of all the children.
The other is a chest of drawers containing two or three columns of
little drawers, each of which has a bright handle (or a handle of some
color to contrast with the background), and a small card with a name
upon it. Every child has his own drawer, in which to put things
belonging to him.
Round the walls of the room are fixed blackboards at a low level, so
that the children can write or draw on them, and pleasing, artistic
pictures, which are changed from time to time as circumstances direct.
The pictures represent children, families, landscapes, flowers and
fruit, and more often Biblical and historical incidents. Ornamental
plants and flowering plants ought always to be placed in the room
where the children are at work.
Another part of the working-room's equipment is seen in the pieces of
carpet of various colors--red, blue, pink, green and brown. The
children spread these rugs upon the floor, sit upon them and work
there with the didactic material. A room of this kind is larger than
the customary class-rooms, not only because the little tables and
separate chairs take up more space, but also because a large part of
the floor must be free for the children to spread their rugs and work
upon them.
In the sitting-room, or "club-room," a kind of parlor in which the
children amuse themselves by conversation, games, or music, etc., the
furnishings should be especially tasteful. Little tables of different
sizes, little armchairs and sofas should be placed here and there.
Many brackets of all kinds and sizes, upon which may be put
statuettes, artistic vases or framed photographs, should adorn the
walls; and, above all, each child should have a little flower-pot, in
which he may sow the seed of some indoor plant, to tend and cultivate
it as it grows. On the tables of this sitting-room should be placed
large albums of colored pictures, and also games of patience, or
various geometric solids, with which the children can play at
pleasure, constructing figures, etc. A piano, or, better, other
musical instruments, possibly harps of small dimensions, made
especially for children, completes the equipment. In this "club-room"
the teacher may sometimes entertain the children with stories, which
will attract a circle of interested listeners.
The furniture of the dining-room consists, in addition to the tables,
of low cupboards accessible to all the children, who can themselves
put in their place and take away the crockery, spoons, knives and
forks, table-cloth and napkins. The plates are always of china, and
the tumblers and water-bottles of glass. Knives are always included in
the table equipment.
_The Dressing-room._ Here each child has his own little cupboard or
shelf. In the middle of the room there are very simple washstands,
consisting of tables, on each of which stand a small basin, soap and
nail-brush. Against the wall stand little sinks with water-taps. Here
the children may draw and pour away their water. There is no limit to
the equipment of the "Children's Houses" because the children
themselves do everything. They sweep the rooms, dust and wash the
furniture, polish the brasses, lay and clear away the table, wash up,
sweep and roll up the rugs, wash a few little clothes, and cook eggs.
As regards their personal toilet, the children know how to dress and
undress themselves. They hang their clothes on little hooks, placed
very low so as to be within reach of a little child, or else they fold
up such articles of clothing, as their little serving-aprons, of which
they take great care, and lay them inside a cupboard kept for the
household linen.
* * * * *
In short, where the manufacture of toys has been brought to such a
point of complication and perfection that children have at their
disposal entire dolls' houses, complete wardrobes for the dressing and
undressing of dolls, kitchens where they can pretend to cook, toy
animals as nearly lifelike as possible, this method seeks to give all
this to the child in reality--making him an actor in a living scene.
* * * * *
[Illustration: FIG 2.--THE MONTESSORI PAEDOMETER.]
My pedometer forms part of the equipment of a "Children's House."
After various modifications I have now reduced this instrument to a
very practical form. (Fig. 2.)
The purpose of the pedometer, as its name shows, is to measure the
children. It consists of a wide rectangular board, forming the base,
from the center of which rise two wooden posts held together at the
top by a narrow flat piece of metal. To each post is connected a
horizontal metal rod--the indicator--which runs up and down by means
of a casing, also of metal. This metal casing is made in one piece
with the indicator, to the end of which is fixed an india-rubber ball.
On one side, that is to say, behind one of the two tall vertical
wooden posts, there is a small seat, also of wood. The two tall wooden
posts are graduated. The post to which the seat is fixed is graduated
from the surface of the seat to the top, whilst the other is graduated
from the wooden board at the base to the top, _i.e._ to a height of
1.5 meters. On the side containing the seat the height of the child
seated is measured, on the other side the child's full stature. The
practical value of this instrument lies in the possibility of
measuring two children at the same time, and in the fact that the
children themselves cooperate in taking the measurements. In fact,
they learn to take off their shoes and to place themselves in the
correct position on the pedometer. They find no difficulty in raising
and lowering the metal indicators, which are held so firmly in place
by means of the metal casing that they cannot deviate from their
horizontal position even when used by inexpert hands. Moreover they
run extremely easily, so that very little strength is required to move
them. The little india-rubber balls prevent the children from hurting
themselves should they inadvertently knock their heads against the
metal indicator.
The children are very fond of the pedometer. "Shall we measure
ourselves?" is one of the proposals which they make most willingly and
with the greatest likelihood of finding many of their companions to
join them. They also take great care of the pedometer, dusting it, and
polishing its metal parts. All the surfaces of the pedometer are so
smooth and well polished that they invite the care that is taken of
them, and by their appearance when finished fully repay the trouble
taken.
The pedometer represents the scientific part of the method, because it
has reference to the anthropological and psychological study made of
the children, each of whom has his own biographical record. This
biographical record follows the history of the child's development
according to the observations which it is possible to make by the
application of my method. This subject is dealt with at length in my
other books. A series of cinematograph pictures has been taken of the
pedometer at a moment when the children are being measured. They are
seen coming of their own accord, even the very smallest, to take their
places at the instrument.