CHAPTER II .sx SETTING THE STAGE .sx Two photographs , recently published in an educational magazine , showed in a graphic manner the nature of the change that has been coming over the education of little children in the Public Elementary Schools during so short a period as the last twenty years .sx The first picture showed the old gallery classroom in which the children sat with strained or vacant expressions and with folded arms .sx The second showed an open space set out with little tables at which the children were busily occupied with " individual apparatus .sx " Here are some more pictures , not depicting ideal conditions , but showing a further change in the type of material with which the children are occupied .sx If the ideal of the infant school is to be " hearty purposeful activity proceeding in a social environment , " the first problem is to determine what constitutes a good social environment for children of four or five to seven years , and then to observe the kind and degree of purpose which may be expected at that age .sx The first essential during these years is growth .sx How easy it is to say , and how hard , apparently , to .sx provide for !sx A plea for outdoor space is made in a later chapter , but within doors there is hardly a classroom which could not be made a better place for little children to grow in , by the simple expedient of casting out at least half the furniture , apparatus and decoration with which it is at present encumbered .sx It should never be necessary for a whole class to be seated at desks or tables all together .sx The tables and chairs which are rapidly replacing the desks are all to the good , but it might be a good plan , in a class of forty , to provide twelve little tables , each to seat two children , and thirty chairs , of which about six should be of a different pattern from the rest .sx For the occasions when all the children may be sitting to listen to a story or to take part in some discussion , two or three rolls of Japanese matting on the floor , would accommodate the extra ten .sx Some of the money saved on the tables and chairs would be well spent on rubber silencers .sx It is suggested that a few of the chairs be of a different pattern .sx It may seem absurd or trivial , an added annoyance to the departments that deal with requisitions ; but what a difference it makes when some variety can be introduced into a classroom !sx In a corner there might be a little circular table surrounded by a few small rush-seated armchairs , also a book-case , and to this corner could come those children who wished to look at pictures or to read story books .sx Possiblythese early associations with books and reading would colour the whole of a child's later attitude towards literature .sx There is no doubt that the floor is the best place for some of the play ; the bricks , in particular , are always used here , and this means that a good floor surface is very desirable , and a high standard of cleanliness must be maintained .sx Questions of cupboard and locker space can best be considered after the kind and amount of material has been determined .sx The material for play falls conveniently under three headings :sx - Toys .sx Constructive materials and tools .sx Other equipment .sx It will be well to approach the problem of equipment with an open mind , and to ask quite simply , " What materials are best calculated to create a social situation , and to suggest activities and projects , which will not only be valuable in themselves , but will lay the best foundation for succeeding stages of education ?sx " These materials must then be judged by aesthetic and hygienic standards , so that there may be nothing in the room that is not pleasing and safe for little children to use .sx 1 .sx Toys .sx The first demand is for bricks .sx These may .sx be home made , of any size and shape suitable for use on the floor by unskilled little people , for whom fine adjustments and co-ordinations are a serious strain .sx The bricks are not difficult to make , though careful measurement and accurate sawing are necessary , for the bricks must be true .sx Timber may be ordered ready planed by the running foot :sx ordinary deal or yellow pine is quite suitable , and the following sizes have been found useful :sx A few boards about 24 " x 6 " x " will be found a very useful addition to the bricks , or , failing these , some stout straw board or mill board is valuable where floor and roofs are concerned .sx For the older children's use the bricks may be bored near the ends , then some dowel rods and cotter pins will add greatly to the constructive possibilities of the bricks .sx The scooter in the picture ( page 39 ) is one of the most popular toys constructed in this way .sx Observations of play , in many classes , show that after the first random piling and knocking down , the bricks are always used for the representation of .sx buildings which form a setting or background for dramatic play .sx Houses come first , then farms , cages for animals , railways , ships , circuses , aeroplanes and motors all have their turn .sx Toys for use with the bricks then , should be of a kind that will enrich this kind of play .sx DOLLS come next .sx Why is the doll an exile , or at best , no more than an occasional visitor to the classroom ?sx She is one of the oldest and most universal of toys , and her educational possibilities are unlimited .sx Although the shops are so full of dolls , it is hard to find just what is wanted for school use .sx To begin with , the doll must be hygienic and durable ; it must also be aesthetically satisfying , that is , simple , pleasant , well-proportioned ; a demand which at one stroke rules out about nine-tenths of the dolls on the present day market .sx Dolls that are " elite " are of no use for the serious purposes of play .sx These are some of the types of dolls that have been used with success :sx The " Schoenhut Doll , " manufactured by the Schoenhut Company of Philadelphia .sx These dolls are constructed throughout of wood , and have unbreakable steel joints .sx They can be obtained with real or painted hair , in several sizes from 14 " to 21 " high .sx There are boys , girls and babies .sx The proportions are correct , the faces natural , and the body so constructed that it will " stay put " in .sx almost any position .sx The price of these dolls in America was from about twelve shillings , undressed , and as they are practically unbreakable , it will be seen that they were by no means expensive .sx The little wooden dolls made by the " Pomona Toys " people are very useful , especially as they can be obtained in families mother , father , brothers , sisters and baby .sx The Pomona peg doll has also much to recommend it .sx Unfortunately they are rather fragile , but when the children know this and treat them carefully , this disadvantage may become an asset .sx Dolls suggest a doll's house .sx An elaborate structure is not desirable .sx The familiar orange box , painted and papered , makes an excellent substitute .sx The pattern given below has proved very useful , because , being open on both sides , several children can play with it at once .sx It is best made in three-ply wood , and extra storeys ( without the chimney ) may be added , if desired .sx Still thinking of home and domestic plays , another simple and useful toy , is the screen play-house .sx The one shown in the illustration on page 31 was made from an old clothes horse , and covered with unbleached calico which was then sized and distempered .sx Toys such as this are much best when home made , for bought ones are often too elaborate , .sx and , consequently , too expensive .sx Where a play-house is not available , it is surprising how much pleasure is to be obtained by means of two or three stout pieces of strawboard hinged together with binding cloth .sx With these improvised screens the children make a little house and play in it , as is shown in the picture ( page 34) .sx Toy animals are a most valuable adjunct to the bricks .sx These could probably be made in ply wood by a Senior school class .sx The Pomona toy animals shown in the pictures ( page 34 ) have been used in a number of classes with great success .sx The children handle them very carefully , and a set which has been in daily use in a five-year-old class for two years , has only suffered one or two slight breakages .sx The prices range from 2d .sx for a bunny , to 16 for a shire horse .sx A good set for a class is as follows :sx the total cost being 240 .sx These four types of toys :sx bricks , dolls , play-house and animals , constitute a minimum equipment .sx It .sx is much better to start with a few simple " fundamental " toys , and to let others come as they are needed , than to begin with an elaborate outlay that will only excite and distract the children .sx Each class will soon discover its own needs , and most of the additional or supplementary toys can be made by the children themselves , and are none the worse for being fragile , thus providing an ever recurring motive for handwork .sx 2 .sx CONSTRUCTIVE MATERIALS AND TOOLS .sx Great care should be exercised in selecting materials and tools for little children's use .sx It does not follow that the materials used by older pupils will best meet the needs of the younger ones ; nor is it the case that similar tools of a poorer quality will " do for " the babies .sx Of the more plastic and easily manipulated materials , sand and clay are of the greatest value .sx The sand should be contained in a low deep trough , and should be kept covered when not in use .sx A few wooden spoons , some shells , sticks and rollers ( a sawn-up broomstick ) and a little watering can , are at first the only tools needed .sx Later , graded measuring cups may give much valuable experience .sx The clay needs a covered container , American cloth for the tables , and some small pieces of damp sponge or flannel to keep the hands and work moist .sx No special tools are needed ; a piece of twig or a match stalk will do all that is required at this stage .sx The next need is for paper .sx Paper may be used for several different purposes , therefore there must be variety in the kind of paper supplied .sx For Constructive purposes a stout manilla or wrapping paper is best it is tough and crisp , and gives good clean folds .sx It should be supplied in large sheets which may then be cut according to needs .sx For Drawing , it should be remembered that little children need to draw a great deal ; they want to cover sheet after sheet with scribbles and splashes not to draw one thing a week and draw it perfectly .sx Some wall space should be available for drawing , but there should also be a generous supply of paper .sx The paper that is supplied is often much better in quality than is necessary , and is generally cut into sheets too small for little children's use .sx Sugar paper is cheap and easily obtained , and its good blue or oatmeal colour makes an excellent background for crayon drawings .sx The paper on which newspapers are printed is also very inexpensive and is quite satisfactory if used with a very black soft pencil .sx Little children do not use paper to any great extent for Decorative purposes , but it is desirable that the teacher should also have a small stock of brightly coloured poster paper , coloured tissue paper and thin white cardboard , any of which may be required occasionally for special purposes .sx The necessary tools include large pencils with a very black soft lead , crayons , large paint brushes , .sx and a few small paint boxes containing about six good colours .sx Scissors must be reasonably sharp , and in other respects serviceable .sx Why is it assumed that an unskilled hand can manage a poor inadequate tool ?sx One learns to control a tool by using it again and again clumsily , awkwardly and so great store should not be set upon the product , but upon the effort which must be made many , many times .sx