Part 2

Have the child stand across the room and listen for the tick of a watch which you hold in your hand. If he cannot hear the tick, advance slowly toward him and keep track of the distance at which the child first distinguishes the ticking. It will be interesting to test each ear separately. Any physical defect in the child's hearing can be found by this test. Encourage him to make a deliberate effort to hear the watch. Do not be too hasty in moving towards him as he will have to concentrate his attention before the tick can be heard. This exercise is a good one for the development of attention. Practice with this yourself. You will find as your attention wanders that you will lose the consciousness of the ticking of the watch.

The Game of Whispering

Have the child stand across the room or several feet away. Whisper a word and see if he can repeat it. Encourage him to try a little more and to be more quiet; then whisper the same word but no louder. Work with this exercise, increasing the tone gradually until the child distinguishes what is said. Then whisper other words and sentences. This exercise can be lengthened and is excellent for the development of attention and memory as well as of hearing.

The Game of Tapping

Sit at a table and with a pencil or your finger tap upon it a certain number of times, during which there are irregular intervals, for example--four taps--interval--two taps--interval--five taps--interval--one tap.

Now see if the child can reproduce the correct number of taps and intervals. This can be varied in innumerable ways. For older children tap a familiar tune and see who can recognize it. Let the winner tap a tune for the others to recognize.

The Game--Speak and I'll Name You

Blindfold one child and have the others sit or stand around him in a circle. Turn the blindfolded one around a few times and let him point to anyone, saying: "Speak and I'll name you." The child designated, in a natural voice says, "Yes, sir." The one blindfolded has two chances to guess from the sound of the voice who the person is. If he guesses correctly he is released, if not, he must pay a forfeit. The person pointed out must be blindfolded and take the next turn. Forfeits may be redeemed in any manner desired. The game "Ruth and Jacob," familiar to everyone, is a good game of sound.

The Game of Silence

For developing self-control and relaxation, have the children practice silence. Have them relax and show them that the movement of a foot or a hand makes a slight noise. Have them listen to their breathing, and then breathe just as quietly as they can. Drop a pin and have those who heard it put up their hands. Let them become perfectly quiet again and drop several pins for them to count. See who is the most accurate. In all your instructions to them only whisper. Do not allow them to talk or whisper at all during this exercise. As you use it prolong the periods of silence and attention to one sound or idea. This is a wonderful exercise for the development of the power of concentration and should be played often.

The Game of Drop It

Have the children sit quietly in a room; have several different articles in your hands and drop them one at a time, on the table. Have the children sitting with their backs to the table and determine by the sound what you have dropped. For this exercise you can use a bunch of keys, coins, pencil, knife, books, ball--anything that is available.

After they have become somewhat acquainted with the articles by sound, drop the different objects in different places, moving quietly about so that the children can only determine from the sound what you have dropped, and where you dropped it. For example, drop the book on the rug, the keys on the floor, the pencil on the tiles of the hearth, the coin on the table, the keys on the mantel. After each object is dropped, see which child can tell what was dropped and where. This will teach them to recognize the object and its location by sound. Do not overlook the value of competition--keep a score.

A Musical Exercise

The child should be taught to recognize tones, and the spaces between tones of the scale. Have him stand with his back to the piano and learn to tell the difference in the tones that are played. First, use the octave, then the one-five-eight. Next the one-three-five eight; then the one-two three, etc. Then introduce the half-tones. This exercise can be made more difficult according to age and musical ability.

The Game of Blind Man's Ears

Have the child blindfolded and sitting quietly on the porch and tell all the sounds he hears. The blindfold will add to the interest and fun, at the same time insure his dependence upon the sense of hearing. Let him tell what is approaching; if persons are walking, how many? If a vehicle is coming, how many horses, and what kind of a vehicle? Let him learn to distinguish automobiles by sound, large cars from small ones, trucks from pleasure cars.

Strive for recognition of the slightest sound, a distant bird, etc. Try to estimate the distance from which the sound is coming.

Take the child into the woods, teach him to distinguish the sounds of the different animals, and if possible to locate the distance and to estimate the location. On the ground, in a bush, or up a tree?

Anything which stimulates the child to hear keenly and accurately is of value. Let the exercise be adapted to the time and place. When he remarks "How quiet it is here," it is a good time for him to realize how many sounds are actually going on around him.

The Game of Telephoning

Give each child a pencil and paper and have them sit in a row or in different parts of the room equally distant from the spot selected for the "operator."

Make a list of words; later on short sentences can be used; have the operator take these and sit about twelve feet from the children. Let the operator whisper "Hello," just loud enough for the children to hear distinctly. The children can raise their hands when they "get the connection," or hear the "Hello," but should not be allowed to speak during the game.

The operator will then whisper the words in the list slowly, using the same volume of sound as in the "Hello," giving time between words for each child to write them. At the conclusion correct the lists, each child being scored for the number of words heard correctly. During this game all instructions should be given in whisper, and perfect quiet maintained among the children.

The Bell Game

Have all the children sit quietly in one room while some one takes a small bell and goes to some other room, hall or any other part of the house and rings the bell softly, just loud enough to be heard in the room where the children are seated. See which child can tell most accurately the location where the bell was rung. Allow the child making the closest guess to go out and ring the bell.

The Game of Stop Thief

Place a table in the center of the room, preferably one with doors on two sides, or at least more than one door. On the table place a bell, bunch of keys or other article difficult to pick up without making a noise.

Have all but one of the children blindfolded and seated at the end of the room farthest from the doors. The child not blindfolded is the Thief and leaves the room. When everything is perfectly quiet the Thief tries to enter the room, get the article from the table and get out without being heard.

If a child hears the Thief, he calls "Stop Thief," and if he accurately locates the position of the thief he takes his place.

This game will teach the children to move quietly as well as to improve their hearing.

The Table Game

After the meal and while enjoying a few minutes around the table have the children close their eyes while you take a spoon or fork and tap softly upon some dish or article on the table. See who can tell by hearing what the article is and where it is. See who is most accurate in locating the spot where the sound is made.

Other interesting games to be played at the table will be found under the sense of Sight and faculty of Observation.

Remember it is the effort that counts--just to listen will tend to sharpen the sense of hearing. Well developed senses are the result of repeated efforts upon the part of their possessor. Try--keep on trying.

Care of the Ears

Teach the child to respect and value the sense organs as possessions of great worth and to care for them properly. Do not allow any kind of abuse, especially of the ears and eyes. Do not try to wash too far into the ears, the inner ear is fully protected by nature and does not need cleansing. Wash as far as the child's finger will reach and no farther.

TRAINING THE SENSE OF SIGHT

This sense has been endowed by nature with special ability and capacity. The nerves connecting the eye with the brain are eighteen times larger than those of any other sense. Their capacity to impress the brain is therefore many times greater. At the same time nature has duplicated the sense of sight and we have the mind's eye, or the faculty of visualization, by which we can reproduce the visual impression, or picture, of the thing which we have seen. This faculty is one of the important foundations of memory development as you will see in future chapters.

We are probably more conscious of defects in the operation of the sense of sight because of the many opportunities for comparison with others. Children may differ considerably in their vision but any unusual condition should prompt a consultation with a specialist.

Because of the movement possible in this sense organ and the delicate muscles which control it, there is the possibility of improvement by muscular exercise which does not exist in the other senses. The following exercises will strengthen the eye muscles. They should be practiced by persons of all ages. It has been found during operations that some of the eye muscles have been exercised so little that they have become almost incapable of use.

These exercises are simple, and can be practiced at odd moments, that would otherwise be wasted.

First--Move the eye horizontally as far as you can to the left and then to the right. Continue this until there is a feeling of fatigue. No physical exercise should be continued beyond that point.

Second--Move the eyes vertically as far as you can, up and then down, trying to extend the range of vision. Continue this alternately until you feel fatigue.

Third--Roll the eyes from right to left and then from left to right in as large a circle as possible.

These exercises will keep the eye muscles in a healthy condition. See to it that the child does not abuse his eyes; that he does not strain them; always has plenty of light and that it falls upon the page, or work, that he is doing. Do not overlook indications of eye trouble, eye pains, inflamed lids, continued recurrence of styes, blood-shot eyeballs, or pain back of the eyes, all should have the attention of a doctor. "A stitch in time saves nine."

Strive for More Detail

There is the greatest difference in the amount of detail which the eyes of different persons gather from a glance at an object. Some will only see a tree; others in the same time will see a tree with spreading branches, small irregularly shaped leaves, with small black berries and a rough vertically marked bark. Children should be trained to notice as much detail as possible. Development along this line becomes a basis for many other mental operations which will be discussed later on.

Exercise for Detail

Place yourself with the child where you can look out on the landscape. Pick out some object, tell him what it is, and have him look until he finds it. Then let the child pick out some object that he thinks will be difficult for you to find. It may be a bird, a red flower, or a hoop. As he develops pick objects farther away, smaller or partially hidden.

Another Good Exercise

Have the child look at a house and give you all the detail that he can see. Call the child's attention to the things missed so that he sees the reason for making an additional effort. The same exercise can be followed with any object, a tree, an automobile, or an animal. When in the house use a picture on the wall, a table, a book case or a coin. You will find that the longer the child looks at the object the more detail he will see. The aim is to get him to notice and mention the details as quickly as possible. After some practice he will be able to mention them as rapidly as he can speak. This can be made into a competitive game when there are several children. Keep score of the number of the details each can write on a slip of paper in a given length of time.

Training the Eye to Measure

The ability to accurately measure with the eye is a thing that a great many people find very difficult, if not almost impossible. You are continuously finding opportunity to use such an ability. A little conscious effort will work wonders in this regard and children should not be allowed to grow up without being trained to intelligently estimate measurements. In this training begin with larger measurements and from that work to the finer ones as rapidly as the child can progress.

First Exercise

Have the child determine which of two trees in the distance is the closest or use any other objects in the landscape. Walk towards the trees to prove the matter. Point out things of interest to encourage the child's observation of nature.

Second Exercise

Give the child a foot rule and let him become acquainted with its length. Then with his fingers on the table have him indicate the distance which he believes to equal that of the length of the rule. Lay it between the child's fingers. Practice until he knows accurately how long a foot is. At the same time and for variety he can practice with a half foot and an inch. Have him compare objects with a foot rule and determine whether they are longer or shorter. Then let him measure the objects. Allow the child to check the measurements himself, this will increase his definite conception of the length of a foot.

The Game of Measuring

Let the child with his eye, and without a rule, measure the length of the table, of the book case, the side of the room, or the height of a door. Have him do this by eye measurement and not by guess work. Teach him to start at one end and select a point which he judges to be one foot from the end and then to advance the eye to a point one foot from that and so on, counting as he goes, "one, two, three and a half"--whatever he believes is right. Then have him take the foot rule and check his measurements accurately.

In the same manner the child should be taught to know and to be able to measure with the yard stick. With it, of course, measure larger objects, as the length of the house, the width of the porch, the distance from the house to the sidewalk, the width of the street, the height of the shed, etc. Teach the child to recognize the distance of a block, a half mile or a mile, and the size of an acre.

Unless you have had some practice in work of this kind, you will find yourself busy keeping ahead of the child. You can get excellent practice and development which will be of value to you, by entering into these exercises. Make it a point to become thoroughly interested in the work yourself, as it will insure continuation and increased good for the child. Remember the interest increasing value of competition.

While training the child's eye to measure, excellent practice will be found in determining comparative length of lines. The illustrations below will show some of the ways in which the lines can be made confusing. The child should be given enough drill in this exercise so that he learns to judge the things as they are, and not as they seem.

Have him look at Figure 1 and decide which is the longer line, a side of the square B or the diameter of the circle A. Then have him measure carefully.

In like manner compare the height of the two rectangles in Figure 2. Which line is longest in Figure 3--AB, CB, or BD? Which vertical lines are tallest in Figure 4--those between AB or BC?

In Figure 5 which line is longest, A, B or C?

Good practice can be had in judging the size of boxes by comparing the length of one box with the width of another, or any similar measurements. In each case the measurements should actually be made so that all error can be corrected.

In the same way practice with size and thickness of books. Let the child estimate them by inches so that he learns to determine accurately the difference in thickness. The carpenter can readily tell the full inch board from the seven-eights boards by looking at it or by feeling. His ability to do this is the result of practice.

The size of type is a good thing to practice with, as the irregular outlines of the type make it quite confusing. A sample book of type can be gotten from any printer. From this the child can also be taught to become familiar with the common type faces. This knowledge he can use to good advantage in later years.

The child should be taught a definite length of step for the purpose of measurement. In proportion to his size he can learn to step off two feet or a yard. He should also know the length in inches of his shoe for the purpose of checking shorter measurements.

Have the child know his height and estimate the height of trees, buildings, etc. These estimates can be checked by computing the proportion of the length of the shadow thrown by the tree and using the proportion.

=Example=--If the child is five feet tall and his shadow measures three feet, the shadow is three-fifths of his height. If the shadow of the tree measures fifteen feet, the height of the tree is twenty-five feet.

Further Development of Sight

There are two important faculties which are dependent upon the operation of the eye for usefulness and accuracy. They are Visualization and Perception. The games which are given later for the improvement of these important mental operations will also develop the sense of sight.

It will be better to use these later exercises where double results can be accomplished. Give all the time possible to the games on pages 59 to 69.

THE SENSES OF TASTE AND SMELL

For most of the mental operations the three senses already treated are the more important ones. There are some trades in which the senses of taste and smell are also important. These can be cultivated readily by exercises of any nature that stimulate an effort on the part of the children. Many ideas will suggest themselves to you from those given for the other senses.

It is advisable to do a good deal of the practice blindfolded so as to separate entirely the sense of sight, and force dependence upon the senses of taste and smell.

These two senses are very closely allied. Try the experiment of determining the difference in tea, coffee, milk and water while the eyes are covered and the nose held tightly closed.

The degree to which these two senses can be developed is illustrated by the proficiency which is shown by experts and testers who grade tea, coffee and tobacco.

The usefulness of their development is to a large degree only of value to those engaged in these lines of trade. The opportunity for their development comes rarely except in connection with work in the trades, and for that reason will not be dealt with at any length here.

Using Two of the Senses

There are times when the ability to use two of the senses with reasonable accuracy at the same time will be of value. It is not possible for either of the senses to produce perfect attention while working in conjunction with one another. We can attend to only one thing at a time and do it well, but "Divided Attention" is possible. Under the chapter on Attention and Concentration, on page 75, you will find an explanation of "Divided Attention," which should be read before going farther with these exercises.

Exercises for Two Senses

Combine any of the previous exercises for Eye and Ear, Ear and Feeling, Eye and Feeling, etc., but do not attempt two exercises of the same sense or use two of the same order.

At first the attention will alternate between the two exercises, but by persistence the child can learn to carry on two exercises at the same time.

Watch an operator in the central phone stations, she listens to the party calling, watches the board over which other conversations are passing, and pulls and shifts the plugs, all at the same time. Operators of many machines in factories learn to carry on two and more separate operations at one time.

Combine the Insets for the sense of feeling on page 18 with the Number Game or the Letter Game on page 45, or with the exercises for visual counting on page 59. Let the Insets be held close to the body so as not to be easily seen, or have them worked under the table, or covered by a cloth.

Use a similar combination of any of the sense exercises or games. Try many variations of the idea given on page 75 under Divided Attention, using different verses and problems to suit the age of the child.

Have the child write a familiar verse while listening to the reading of a story and see how much he can tell after the verse is finished. See that the writing continues during the reading, that is, that he does not stop writing to listen, then write again.

Take the letter cards of the Letter Game, page 45, and arrange a series of six, having these covered. Give the child a paper and pencil, uncover the series of letters and simultaneously read an equal series of digits. After the reading cover the letters and have him write as many as possible, first the letters and immediately following the digits. Next time write the digits first and the letters second. The result of this test will reveal the comparative quality of the child's eye and ear memory, as memory must of course enter into this exercise. If the sounds of the digits are lost before the pictures of the letters, the eye memory is strongest. This is usually the case, but some children will retain the sounds easily and lose the picture of the letters.

The sense which proves most useful should be depended upon for accuracy, but there should be a continuous effort to develop and strengthen the weaker one.

Improvement From Conscious Effort

The child may be normal in all his senses and able to gain an average success in life without much conscious effort given to improving them. It will require very little effort, however, to greatly develop the capacity of the different senses and thus increase the success which he will gain, and greatly reduce the effort necessary to attain it. While effort and use develop, neglect causes disintegration.

The fact that the eye, for example, needs development is illustrated by the limited usefulness of this organ in infants. Professor Compayre tells us that babies see only objects in front of them, not to the right or to the left, and only objects that are at short range.

Your present capacity in the use of this sense organ, and the accuracy with which you use it, is the result of the development of past years. Conscious effort upon the part of your children will lead them to more rapid development, and to the possibility of far greater power and usefulness.

The value of this improvement is apparent to you, but not to the child. The benefits to be derived will be largely dependent upon your leadership and encouragement in making the effort. While the children are seeking amusement, see that they combine it with these games and exercises which will accomplish some improvement that will be permanent and valuable to them later on.

The Faculty of Visualization