p. 27 | Manual or Constructive Work

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 7, 1909

Manual or Constructive Work

Industrial training has a much larger place in the curriculum of to-day than even its most enthusiastic teachers and friends dared to hope for it ten years ago. In New York and most of the other large cities, cooking and sewing for the girls, and knife-work, iron-work, wood-work, etc., for the boys, are taught as a part of the course; and teachers have to fit themselves to the new demands of the situation.

In country districts, all of this is not practicable; but some parts of the work that is done in the cities may be well done by the country teacher. Even if he has little or no knowledge of drawing, brush-work, etc., as such, he may at least allow the brighter children to take them up for “busy work” when the lessons for that day and the next are all prepared; and he will find them excellent aids in discipline.

Water-color paints, a few camel’s-hair brushes, and some colored inks will be a source of grateful amusement and intelligent occupation to the younger children, and of inspiration to the older ones.

The teacher may bring (or may ask those to bring who wish to undertake the work) such plants, vegetables, or other things as can be boldly outlined with the brush; and it will be no small surprise to see what even the very youngest can accomplish.

After a fair degree of resemblance to potatoes, bananas, apples, grapes, small squashes, leaves, flowers of a simple kind, etc., is secured, he may encourage the copying, with a brush, of a simple landscape, showing how the “tones” are obtained by the number of times that the work is “washed” with the ink or paint. Very pretty black-and-white effects are so brought out, even by very young children.

They may outline the school building, a bit of scenery that illustrates something they have read, or a story that has been told them. They may sometimes be given one in which a little competition will add to the interest—anything, so that they may be encouraged to find out what their hands hold in store for them.

Small children, and some who are larger, will find both pleasure and profit in cutting figures from paper; and the skill developed by some will equal that of a fairly good artist with crayon or pencil. Pictures for a school scrapbook may be carefully cut and pasted, after a little practise; and it will be of great value in much of the class work. All will take part in this.

The teacher may show how to make conventional designs with both the cutting and drawing and the “accidentals,” with the ink. The accidentals are made by putting a more or less liberal supply of ink on a sheet of drawing-paper (or common butcher’s paper), and folding the paper at once, so as to produce a blot, which, repeated at regular intervals, makes an odd—and often pretty—figure, that could be obtained in no other way. A bit of tracing-paper, placed over it, allows the child to get the outline, which is then cut out; and it is laid on his paper, at sections of regularly crossed lines, forming a pattern. I have seen leaves, butterflies, etc., developed in this way, that were afterward used for group work, and were more than merely creditable, although done by children who had been in school less than one term.

Once the possibilities of constructive work are appreciated, the teacher has opened a big door for many a child; yet all this must be done discreetly, and not in a way to excite prejudice against the “paper tomfoolery,” as one irate man designated it. Broad principles are below it all; but it takes a broad mind to comprehend broad principles; and the wise teacher will strengthen his own hands by the judicious use of all ways and means with which to reach parents as well as pupils.—Selected.