PLAYS, GYMNASTICS, AND DANCING.
IN playing THE PIGEON-HOUSE, the teacher, who should always play with
the children, takes three quarters of the number, and forms them into a
circle, while the other quarter remains in the middle, to represent the
pigeons.
The circle is the pigeon-house, and sings the song, beginning with the
words:
"We open the pigeon-house again,"
while, standing still, they all hold up their joined hands, so as to let
all the pigeons out at the word "open;" and, as the circle goes round
singing,
"And let all the happy flutterers free,
They fly o'er the fields and grassy plain.
Delighted with glorious liberty,"
the pigeons run round, waving their hands up and down to imitate flying.
At the word "return," in the line
"And when they return from their joyous flight,"
the joined hands of those in circle are lifted up again, and the pigeons
go in. Then the pigeon-house closes round them, bowing their heads, and
singing,
"We shut up the house and bid them good-night,"
which is repeated while the circle swings off and again comes together
bowing.
The play can be done over until all in turn have been pigeons.
In playing HARE IN THE HOLLOW, a fourth of the children sit in the
middle, on their hands and feet, while the rest, in circle, go round
singing the three verses, and when the words "jump and spring," in the
last verse, occur, the circle stops, and the joined hands are lifted up,
and all the children leap out and around, on their hands and feet, (not
knees,)--while the last lines are repeated twice.
In THE CUCKOOS, a circle is formed, or two concentric circles, and four
children are put in the four corners of the room to enact cuckoos. The
cuckoos sing "cuckoo," and those children in the circle answer; and when
the words of the song indicate that the cuckoos should join the
children, all four burst into the circle, and those who are found at
their right hands become cuckoos the next time.
Almost like this last is the play of THE BEES; one child being put in
the corner as a drone, and at the word "_Beware_," the drone breaks into
the circle.
THE WINDMILL is done by dividing the children into companies of four,
and letting them cross right hands and go round, and then cross left
hands and go round the opposite way. By a change of the word _windmill_
to _water-wheel_, the same music will serve for another play, in which
there is a large circle formed, and then four or six spokes are made by
six crossing hands in the middle, and then one or more children
lengthening each spoke, and joining it to the circle, which forms the
rim of the wheel. This is a more romping play than either of the
foregoing, as the different velocities of those who are at the centre
and circumference make it nearly impossible to have the motions
correspond in time; but it is great fun, and serves for a change.
THE CLAPPERS IN THE CORN-MILL is made by one or by two concentric
circles, going round as they sing the words; and the beauty of it
consists in their minding the pauses and clapping in time. Whenever
there are concentric circles, as is often necessary, when there are many
children, the circles should move in different directions, and all
circular motions must be frequently reversed.
In THE SAWYERS, the children stand facing each other in couples, in a
circle, and move their joined hands from shoulder to shoulder in time to
the music of the first verse. In singing the second verse, they skip
round with their partners.
In THE WHEEL-BARROW, they are also arranged in couples, back to front;
the front child leaning over to imitate the barrow, and stretching his
hands behind him, which the child at his back takes as if to wheel. When
the words are repeated the children reverse.
In THE COOPERS, the children, who form the barrels or hogshead, stand
back to front in a circle, each taking hold of the waist of the one
before him. The coopers walk round outside in time, at every third step
pounding on the shoulder of the child nearest him in the barrel. When
the word "around" comes, the barrel must begin to turn, and the coopers
stand still, pounding on the shoulders of each child as he passes.
In THE LITTLE MASTER OF GYMNASTICS, each child in turn stands in the
middle of the circle, and makes any motion he chooses, which all the
rest imitate.
EQUAL TREADING is done in a circle, or in two concentric circles.
In WE LIKE TO GO A-ROVING, the children march round freely within sound
of the music, singing and keeping time carefully.
In THE FISHES, the children are arranged as in the pigeon-house; and at
the words "swimming," "above," "below," "straight," and "bow," the
fishes must make corresponding motions, while the circle that forms the
pond goes round singing.
In THE PENDULUM, the children follow each other in a circle, moving one
arm before them, like a pendulum, in time to the music, and with a
strongly marked motion, while they all sing the song. When one arm is
tired, the other can be used for the pendulum.
Let the children also follow one another in a circle to play THE
WEATHERCOCK. Beforehand, the points of the compass should be defined in
the room, and the children must point, as they sing, "North, South,
East, West."
The prettiest of all the plays is THE PEASANT. All join hands and sing,
going round in time with the music, when they come to the words, "Look,
'tis so--so does the peasant," they must make the corresponding motion.
In the first verse, they make believe, as the children say, to hold up
the apron with one hand, and throw the seed with the other. In the
second verse, they kneel on one knee at the same words, and make believe
hold the corn with one hand and cut with the other. In the third verse,
they put the doubled fists at the left shoulder, and make the motion of
thrashing. In the fourth verse, they make the motion of holding and
shaking a sieve. In the fifth, they kneel on one knee and rest the head
in the hand; in the sixth, they jump straight up and down, turning to
each point of the compass, till the chorus, "la, la," begins, when each
takes his next neighbor for a partner, and they skip round the room.
Some other plays, accompanied by musical words, can be found in the
guide-books of European Kindergartens; and the music, with English
words, will be shortly published in this country by Ditson, of Boston,
to meet the growing demand of Kindergartens.
But the above description of the plays gives no adequate idea of what
can be made of them, such as the Kindergartner obtains at the Normal
class; for they are much more than bodily exercises. It is wonderful to
see what is made of them, in such a Kindergarten as that of Madame
Vogler in Berlin, where the conversations before beginning, and in the
pauses for rest, call the children's attention to the facts and
processes of nature and art, symbolized by the plays.
The words and music are taught very carefully, and the dancing is
gentle, so that there may be exhilaration without fatigue.
The object-lessons involved in the plays are those which especially
belong to the Kindergarten, because their aim is not so much to open the
intellect to science, as to give moral training. The latter is ever to
be kept in advance of the former; for it is the _tree of life_, whose
fruits--if they are first eaten--will render harmless and salutary those
of the tree of knowledge.
I was not unaware of this when I began my own Kindergarten; and the very
first thing I did, was to give an object lesson, which was, as I
afterwards found, exactly in the spirit of Froebel. When the children
were assembled the first day, in my very pleasant room, looking full of
expectation, I went forward with a beautiful rose-tree in a little
flower-pot, and said, "Come, and I will show you what is beautiful. It
is a rose fully blown. Now say the words--all of you--after me; and I
said again, 'It is a rose fully blown.'" They all repeated these words
with glad voices, and then each following sentence of that beautiful
prose hymn of Mrs. Barbauld. I especially noted the smiling eyes and
lips, as they repeated,--
"He who made the rose is more beautiful than the rose.
"It is beautiful, but He is beauty."
Another day a basket of roses was handed round to the children; and,
when each had one in hand, this recitation was renewed.
After it was over, I said, "What did God make the rose for?" They all
smiled, as if conscious of knowing; and one, more courageous than the
rest, said, "To give us pleasure;" followed by a dear little
utilitarian, who said, "To make rose-water." I added, "Yes; and the
rose-water gives us pleasure, too, because it has a sweet smell, and a
sweet taste, besides. Is not God very good to give us roses to look at
and smell; and to make into rose-water, after they are all faded and
fallen to pieces? What is the reason that God makes things to give us
pleasure? Could we not have lived very comfortably without flowers?"
They answered spontaneously, "Because God loves us." "What else does
the dear God give us to make us happy?" Different children answered, and
spoke of different flowers, and of other things which gave them
pleasure, and thus they were put into a grateful mood, without a word
said about the _duty_ of gratitude to God; for love of God comes
spontaneously, when he is conceived aright, and forecloses the thought
of duty. But duty to our fellow-creatures should always be suggested
when the heart is overflowing with gratitude to the common Father. I
went on asking such questions as "Do _you_ love anybody? what do you do
to make people happy that you love? what would you like to do with your
rose? Do sick people like to have flowers? do you know any sick person?
do you like to do the same kind of things God does? do you think God
wants you to make your friends happy? and all happy whom he loves?" The
roses were then gathered into a shallow basin of water, to be preserved
till school should be over, and they could go and bestow them as they
had severally suggested; for it is important to make children _do_
whatever of kindness they think of, not idly sentimentalize.
Other lessons, on the material origin of the rose, the planting, the
process of growth, and even the making of rose-water, opened up; and
Mrs. Barbauld's prose hymns afforded other subjects for similar lessons,
as well as whatever other hymns they learned to recite or sing; and I
took great care that no hymns should be sung that did not admit of being
made intelligible to their hearts and imaginations.
Moral training is effected by taking care in the plays to keep the
children in the mood of mutual accommodation, by showing them how this
is necessary for the beauty of the play. There is also a great
opportunity in the playing, to check all selfish movements, by appeals
to sympathy and conscience, which is the presentiment of reason, and
forefeeling of moral order, for whose culture material order is
indispensable; and order must be kept by the child intentionally, that
it may cultivate the intellectual principle of which it is the
manifestation. Some plan of play prevents the little creatures from
hurting each other, and fancy naturally furnishes the plan,--the mind
unfolding itself in fancies, which are easily quickened and led in
harmless directions by an adult of any resource. Children delight to
personate animals; and a fine genius could not better employ itself than
in inventing a great many more plays, setting them to rhythmical words,
describing what is to be done. Kindergarten plays are easy intellectual
exercises; for to do anything whatever with a thought beforehand,
develops the heart or quickens the intelligence; and thought of this
kind does not tax intellect, or check physical development, which last
must never be sacrificed in the process of education.
There are enough instances of marvellous acquisition in infancy, to show
that imbibing with the mind is as natural as with the body, if suitable
beverage is put to the lips; but in most cases the mind's power is
balanced by instincts of body, which should have priority, if they
cannot certainly be in full harmony. The mind can better afford to wait
for the maturing of the body, for it survives the body, than the body
can afford to wait for the mind; for it is irretrievably stunted, if the
nervous energy is not free to stimulate its special organs, at least
equally with those of the mind.
There is not, however, any need to sacrifice the culture of either mind
or body, but to harmonize them. They can and ought to grow together.
They mutually help each other.