Exercise—Various positions—Exercise blended with instruction—Arithmetical and geometrical amusements.

* * * * *

"Would you make infants happy, give them variety, for novelty has charms that our minds can hardly withstand."

* * * * *

As an Infant School may be regarded in the light of a combination of the school and nursery, the art of pleasing, forms a prominent part in the system; and as little children are very apt to be fretful, it becomes expedient to divert as well as teach there. If children of two years old and under are not diverted, they will naturally cry for their mothers: and to have ten or twelve children crying in the school, it is very obvious would put every thing into confusion. But it is possible to have two hundred, or even three hundred children assembled together, the eldest not more than six years of age, and yet not to hear one of them crying for a whole day. Indeed I may appeal to the numerous and respectable persons who have visited Infant Schools, for the truth of this assertion; many of whom have declared, in my hearing, that they could not have conceived it possible that such a number of little children could be assembled together, and all be so happy as they had found them, the greater part of them being so very young. I can assure the reader, that many of the children who have cried heartily on being sent to school the first day or two, have cried as much on being kept at home, after they have been in the school but a very short time: and I am of opinion that when children are absent, it is generally the fault of the parents. I have had children come to school without their breakfast, because it has not been ready; others have come to school without shoes, because they would not be kept at home while their shoes were mending; and I have had others come to school half dressed, whose parents have been either at work or gossipping; and who, when they have returned home, have thought that their children were lost; but to their great surprise and joy, when they have applied at the school, they have found them there.

Need any thing more be advanced than these facts, to prove, that it is not school, or the acquirement of knowledge, that is disagreeable to children, but the system of injudicious instruction there pursued. Children are anxious to acquire knowledge, and nothing can be more congenial to their taste than association with those of their own age; but we ought not to wonder that little children should dislike to go to school, when, as in most of the dames' schools, forty or fifty, or perhaps more, are assembled together in one room, scarcely large enough for one-third of that number, and are not allowed to speak to, or scarcely look at each other. In those places, I firmly believe, many, for the want of proper exercise become cripples, or have their health much injured, by being kept sitting so many hours; but as children's health is of the greatest consequence, it becomes necessary to remedy this evil by letting them have proper exercise, combined as much as possible, with instruction; to accomplish which many measures have been tried, but I have found the following to be the most successful.

The children are desired to sit on their seats, with their feet out straight, and to shut each hand; and then ordered to count a hundred, or as many as may be thought proper, lifting up each hand every time they count one, and bringing each hand down again on their knees when they count another. The children have given this the name of blacksmith, and when asked why they called it blacksmith, they answered, because they hammered their knees with their fists, in the same way as the blacksmith hammers his irons with a hammer. When they have arrived at hundred (which they never fail to let you know by giving an extra shout), they may be ordered to stand up, and bring into action the joints of the knees and thighs. They are desired to add up one hundred, two at a time, which they do by lifting up each foot alternately, all the children counting at one time, saying, two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and so on. By this means, every part of the body is put in motion; and it likewise has this advantage that by lifting up each foot every time, they keep good time, a thing very necessary, as unless this was the case, all must be confusion. They also add up three at a time, by the same method, thus, three, six, nine, twelve, fifteen, eighteen, and so on; but care must be taken not to keep them too long at one thing, or too long in one position, thus exercising the elbow joints, by pushing them out and drawing them back as far as possible.

Come here, my dear boy, look at baby's two hands,
And his two little feet upon which baby stands;
Two thumbs and eight fingers together make ten;
Five toes on each foot the same number again.

Two arms and two shoulders, two elbows, two wrists,
Now bind up your knuckles, make two little fists;
Two legs and two ancles, two knees, and two hips.
His fingers and toes have all nails on their tips.

With his hands and his feet he can run, jump, and crawl,
He can dance, walk, or caper, or play with his ball;
Take your hoop or your cart, and have a good race,
And that will soon give you a fine rosy face.

Oh! what would my boy do without his two hands;
And his two little feet upon which baby stands!
They're the gift of kind heaven for you to enjoy,
Then be thankful to heaven, my dear little boy.

Having done a lesson or two this way, they are desired to put their arms out straight, and to say, one and one are two, two and one are three, three and one are four, four and one are five, five and one are six, six and two are eight; and in this way they go on until they are desired to stop.

It should be observed, that all graceful actions may be adopted. I am sorry to find, from visits to various schools, that the movements of the children have degenerated into buffoonery; they have been allowed to put themselves into the most ridiculous postures, and have thus raised objections which would not otherwise have been urged. As, however, the whole Infant System is designed to make the children think, I would urge the teachers to guard against their being automatons. Let them mark every impropriety with promptitude, and correct it with judgment.

I have specified these methods not as being the only ones practicable, or fit to be adopted, but merely, as hints to the judicious teacher, who will doubtless think of many others, conducive to the same end: and the more he can diversify them the better. It is the combination of amusement with instruction, which, in my opinion, renders the system so successful; and unimportant or improper even as it may appear to some, is of more real service in the management of young children, than all the methods of restraint and coercion, which have been hitherto but too generally pursued.

The children may also learn the pence and multiplication tables, by forming themselves into circles around a number of young trees, where such are planted in the play-ground. For the sake of order, each class should have its own particular tree; that when they are ordered to the trees, every child may know which tree to go to; as soon as they are assembled around the trees, they are to join hands and walk round, every child saying the multiplication table, until they have finished it; they then let go hands, and put them behind, and for variety's sake, sing the pence table, the alphabet, hymns, &c. &c.; thus the children are gradually improved and delighted, for they call it play, and it is of little consequence what they call it, so long as they are edified, exercised, and made happy.

This plan is calculated to impress the lessons on their memories, and is adapted for fine weather, when they can go out to play, as it is called. But as in wet or snowy weather, they cannot go out of the school, we then have recourse to the mode previously mentioned. Besides it is necessary that children should have exercise in winter as well as in summer, in wet as well as in dry weather; for this purpose we have several swings in the school-room, made of cord only, on which the children are allowed to swing, two at a time. The time that they are permitted to be on the swing, is according to what they have to repeat. If it is the pence table, they say—

Twenty pence are one and eightpence,
That we can't afford to lose;
Thirty pence are two and sixpence,
That will buy a pair of shoes.

Forty pence are three and fourpence,
That is paid for certain fees;
Fifty pence are four and twopence,
That will buy five pounds of cheese.

Sixty pence will make, five shillings,
Which, we learn is just a crown;
Seventy pence are five and tenpence,
This is known throughout the town.

Eighty pence are six and eightpence,
I'll always try to think of that;
Ninety pence are seven and sixpence,
This will buy a beaver hat.

A hundred pence are eight and fourpence,
Which is taught in th' Infant School;
Eight pence more make just nine shillings,
So we end this pretty rule.[A]

[Footnote A: A covered play-ground is desirable where practicable.]

As soon as the table is thus gone through, the children who are on the swings get off, and others supply their places, until, probably, the pence table has been said twenty times; then we go on with the multiplication table, until the children have repeated as far as six times six are thirty-six; when the children on the swings get off and are succeeded by two more on each swing; they then commence the other part of the table, beginning at six times seven are forty-two, until they have finished the table. During this time it should be borne in mind, that all the children are learning, not only those on the swings, but those who are sitting in the school; and it is surprising to see with what alacrity the children will dispatch their other lessons, when it is a wet day, in order to get to the swings. In addition to the knowledge acquired by this method, it is admirably calculated to try their courage. Many little boys and girls, who at first are afraid to get on the swings, will soon swing standing on one leg, and perform other feats with the greatest dexterity, at once showing their increased courage and greater activity. We generally let four or five children come to a swing, and those that can seat themselves first, are entitled to the first turn, for they are never lifted on. In the anxiety to get on the swing, some of them will perhaps get out of temper, especially those who are not disciplined; but when this is detected they are not allowed to swing that day, which soon makes them good-natured to each other, and very cautious not to get into a passion. Thus, in some degree, their bad tempers are corrected, which is very desirable. It is a current remark, that bad workmen find fault with the tools; and lazy teachers find fault with the swings, because they must perpetually watch the children. We are so tinctured with the old plan of rivetting the children to seats, that I despair of ever seeing the opposite plan become general in my time. As soon as two children are seated on each swing, to preserve order, the others retire (generally speaking) in the greatest good humour to their seats.

Some will, I know, be apt to exclaim, surely this is encouraging and fostering bad feelings—creating enmity and ill-will amongst the children; but I say, No, it is teaching them to feel a spirit of generous emulation, as distinguishable from that of ill-nature or envy.

Beside the swings, in many schools they have a very useful addition to the play-ground. I mean the gymnastic pole.

Although it is most proper for the master in the play-ground to relax altogether the brow of magisterial severity, yet there is no occasion for him to withdraw the influence of love. He will not prove a check to the enjoyment of the children, if, entering into the spirit of their innocent pastimes, he endeavours to heighten their pleasures by a judicious direction of their sports.

Among other amusements, which his ingenuity may suggest, I would mention a geometrical amusement, which is very practicable. First, let a certain number of children stand in a row. Opposite to these let one or more children be placed as directors to order the change of figure. A straight line, we will suppose, is the first thing shown by the position of the children; the next thing to be formed is a curve, by the advancement of each end; then a half-circle,—a circle, by joining hands in a ring;—two equal parallel lines, by the division of the number in action; next a square,—triangle, &c. &c. These changes may either be made at the command of the master, or, as we before proposed, of one or more children acting as officers to direct these geometrical movements.

Had it been constantly borne in memory that God is the creator of the body of a child as well as of its mind; and that the healthy action of both is requisite for happiness and usefulness, more attention would have been paid to the due and proper exercise of children than has hitherto been done. He has implanted an instinctive impulse to activity in every young child, which displays itself in almost incessant motion, where there is perfect health, and when there is opportunity. To restrain this unnecessarily, is therefore to act in opposition to the laws of nature; and the end must be a certain injury to the child. To prevent this evil, and to act in obedience to these laws, the various actions of clapping the hands, folding the arms, twisting the fists, and various other motions have been introduced. By these means a spirit of restlessness, which would undoubtedly show itself under unnecessary restraints, is converted into a motive of obedience, and thus even a moral influence is produced, by what would appear a mere childish play. They may all be gone through with elegance and propriety: and no rude or indelicate action should be allowed. Many masters are too free in making a show of these exercises to visitors, who are perhaps amused with them, but this is to divert them from their proper use. They were only invented to be introduced at intervals, when the children's attention began to flag, or to give them that proper exercise which their tender age required. How has everything connected with the infant system been burlesqued! and thus sensible persons have been led to despise infant education, which if rightly understood by them, would be seen to be one of the most powerful moral engines that can be put into action for the welfare of our fellow-creatures, especially of the poorer classes.