MRS. VINA SHERWOOD by Mrs. Vina Sherwood

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 24, 1914

MRS. VINA SHERWOOD

By Mrs. Vina Sherwood

Our Little Table, and How It Solves Some Home Problems—No. 1

MRS. VINA SHERWOOD

Yes, I am a busy mother. Our baby boy is under two years of age, and our two little girls are aged six and eight; so what I am about to write is not theory, but practice. I wish to tell you the story of our little table, which has been a great factor in discipline and education in our home.

First, I will describe how to make such a table, for I feel sure some mother will not wish to try the use of one. Our table is made of hard wood for durability. It is 2 feet 9 inches long, 1 foot 6 inches wide, and 1 foot 9½ inches high, and has a small slide drawer set in the frame on which the top rests and to which the legs are attached. It is stained a medium color to match our other furniture, and is presentable for use in any room of the house. And such trips as that little table takes as it follows me about from room to room while I am performing my household duties!

Our little table is a means of discipline; for when the children are seated around it, I know just where they are in the room. I can keep them in a warm or sunny corner in winter; their playthings and work are not scattered all over the house; at a glance I can see just what they are doing, and can easily direct them in their play. Sometimes they stand around the table to play or work, at other times they sit in their little kindergarten chairs (which, by the way, are a more useful gift for children than rocking-chairs). These chairs are light and strong, and can easily be carried about the house or yard. Our children have derived much pleasure from them. Healthwise it is better for them to be up from the draft of the floor—the small child’s usual play table. It is, also, more cleanly.

Then, too, work or play assumes a new dignity if the children have a table all their own. The table being of light weight, it can be quickly moved to any part of the yard for shade in summer, or to any part of the room for better light and sunshine.

Our little table finds its place each evening near the light where the older members of the family are gathered. It is more restful to the mother for the little folk to be a short distance away from her during their early evening play, while she reads some article or writes a letter. Children will play more naturally when by themselves. If they are up around the large table with us, we are apt to interrupt them in their play. Occasionally, a well-directed suggestion is proper, but too often we older ones desire them to develop their ideas as we think, when perhaps their viewpoint as how the play should be accomplished is quite different from ours. If, for instance, they are using blocks, show them how to make a simple object or two, and then leave them alone to develop their play. Children should, however, be taught to play with a purpose. Often just a mere suggestion of what would be pleasant to play will help form this habit.

A little boy of fourteen months wanted to turn all the chairs down over the floor in a disorderly fashion. He was directed how to use two chairs for a gate. Opening and closing this gate for himself, mamma, and imaginary kitties and “toot cars” to pass through, formed a part of his daily play for many weeks.

The secret of good discipline for the young child, both in school and at home, is to keep him happily occupied. We must teach him how to be interested in helpful occupations. Now, let us mention some things we can accomplish on this little table. We can look at books. We can cut out pictures with blunt-pointed scissors, obtaining our pictures from magazines, farmers’ journals, etc. Even small children can soon learn to use the scissors. Our girls each have a cloth scrapbook, in which they mount their best work and most interesting pictures. These books may be made out of paper cambric; or the common dress cambric does very nicely. One yard will make a book of eight pages with covers. The white paste in bottles is far better than flour paste. Have the children learn to leave neat margins when pasting in the pictures, and not crowd too many on a page. When the children have outgrown these books, they can trim the edges of the leaves, and press the pages with a hot iron, and then present them to some other little child.

In all these suggestions that I am giving, the children will at first need careful, insistent attention, that they do their work neatly and follow general directions. Then, when once the habit is formed, you can leave them to independent work.

Battle Creek, Mich.