Katharine Elizabeth Dopp

“ You may buy what you please.”
“May I buy a chocolate cookie with my penny?” asked Betty.
“Yes, Betty,” answered Mother. “It is your penny.”
“Was it mine when the baker gave it to Bobby?” asked Betty.
“No, dear,” answered Mother. “The penny was not yours.”
“Whose pennies were they when the baker gave them to Bobby?” asked Betty.
“I know,” said Bobby. “They were Mother’s pennies. That’s why we had to bring them to her.”
[32]
For study and play:
There is nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth. ”

“ And you know the way.”
“Will you show us where Mother’s house is?” asked Bobby.
“To be sure, I will,” answered the policeman. “That is part of my business.”
[162]
“Do you do anything else?” asked Bobby.
“Oh, yes,” answered the policeman. “I walk up and down the streets and take care of the people.”
“Are you their father?” asked Betty. “Are you the father of all the people on the streets?”
“Hardly that,” answered the policeman.
“I know what you are,” said Bobby. “You are a big brother. You are a big brother to all of the people on the streets.” ”

“ And so when a knight took off his helmet, he the same as said, ‘I am in the presence of friends.’”
“That was a nice way to say it,” said Betty.
[135]
“Yes, dear,” said Father. “And a man has a nice way of saying about the same thing.”
“What is a man’s nice way of saying the same thing, Father?” asked Bobby.
“It is by lifting his hat,” answered Father.
“What does he say when he lifts his hat?” asked Bobby.
“When a man lifts his hat, it’s a way of saying, ‘I am in the presence of friends.’”
“That’s a good story,” said Bobby. “I like it.”
“Put on your hat, my little man,” said Father. ”

“ BOBBY LEARNS WHY MEN LIFT THEIR HATS
Bobby ran home with his new hat.
He showed it to Mother.
“That’s a nice hat for a little man,” said Mother. “You are old enough now to lift your hat when you meet a friend on the street.”
“Why should I lift my hat, Mother?” asked Bobby.
“Gentlemen always lift their hats,” said Mother.
“Daddy does,” said Bobby. “I’ll ask him to tell me about it.”
That night Bobby asked, “Daddy, why do men lift their hats?”
“Sit down,” said Father. “I’ll tell you about it.”
Bobby and Betty drew up their chairs. ”

“ The first plays should be very simple ones consisting of the action in one place. Sometimes it may be the representation of Bobby and Betty talking with their mother; again it may be at the baker’s shop, and again on the way home. Children quickly discover the natural divisions of a play and become interested in playing the whole story and thus finding a way of representing different scenes in an act. The dramatic play from day to day requires nothing in the way of costume ”

“ BOBBY AND BETTY
WITH THE WORKERS THE MILKMAN
Bobby and Betty drink milk.
The milkman brings them milk every day.
He leaves two quart bottles at the back door.
He never forgets to bring the milk.
He never stays away when it storms.
For study and play:
Find the milkman.
Find Bobby and Betty.
Round about, round about applety-pie,
Baby loves milk and so do I.
Up, Mother, up, and fill us a cup,
And baby and I will drink it all up.
—Adapted from an old rime
[10]
THE MILKMAN AND HIS HORSE
The milkman has a wise horse.
The horse knows where to stop.
He knows when to stand still. ”

“ Bobby and Betty looked through their books.
[68]
“I can’t find the banana man,” said Bobby.
“Here’s a woman with a wheelbarrow,” said Betty. “Does she have fruit to sell?”
“Yes,” answered Father. “That is the cherry woman.”
“Did she sell cherries?” asked Bobby.
“Yes,” answered Father. “She sold cherries and oranges and lemons.”
“She doesn’t come here,” said Betty.
“No, dear,” said Father. “Women don’t sell fruit from wheelbarrows on our streets.”
“Why not?” asked Betty.
“Because that work is now done by men,” Father answered.
“The banana man has a pushcart,” said Bobby. ”

“ For instance, one child may be able to read and memorize a rime which another child finds difficulty in reading. The latter, however, can read parts of the rime and find familiar words and phrases, and when he hears the rime repeated in class the jingle of the words is likely to stay with him and aid him in his second attempt.
These old rimes and jingles are a part of the child’s social heritage. They have come down through the centuries. It is right that every child should become familiar with them and enjoy their humor and rhythm. Nearly all of them are full of action. ”

“ Each one should be asked to do something which the worker he represents might do, whether it be the imitation of movements, an action song, or repeating an appropriate jingle. A delightful entertainment easily grows out of the work from day to day. ”

“ She likes to keep it cool and sweet.
The iceman passes every day with a big ice wagon.
When Mother wants ice, Betty puts up a card.
When the iceman sees it, he cries, “Whoa! whoa!”
The big horses stop.
[14]
The iceman jumps down from his wagon.
He brings in a big block of ice.
He puts it in the ice box, and Mother gives him a ticket.
The iceman goes back to his wagon.
He jumps in and drives away.
Once Bobby and Betty ran after the ice wagon.
Mother saw them and called them back.
“Don’t run after the ice wagon,” said Mother. “Play you have an ice wagon, Bobby. Hitch Queen to your cart.” ”

“ Let the children use building blocks to represent the baker’s shop with its show case and shelves where he sells his bread and cake and pies. His kitchen, too, is of great interest to children; if suitable arrangements can be made, take the class to visit a baker’s kitchen. After such a visit the baker’s kitchen and oven should be constructed; the children will doubtless find ways of making bread tins and long wooden shovels or paddles for taking bread from the oven. ”

“ The child who has the part of the old man or the old woman, as the case may be, imitates the movements of some occupation and the others guess it.
Songs. Occupation songs are dear to young children and should be used in connection with these lessons. Examine the books accessible and make a list of the songs of the shoemaker, baker, tailor, dressmaker, and other workers. At odd moments many songs can thus be found. If it seems best, enlist the coöperation of children and their parents in collecting such songs. ”

“ The milliner’s shop suggests the making of hats. Whether these be simple hats for a toy milliner’s shop, dolls’ hats of flowers of the season or other available material, or hats for Simple Simon, Colly-Molly-Puff, the Rabbit Woman, or any other character of the book, may be determined by the conditions when the study is made. The making of hats, caps, aprons, and other characteristic garments of the workers to be used in dramatic play provides another form of interesting and profitable work. ”

“ Games. In addition to dramatic plays children should play games. “Drop the Handkerchief” may be played in connection with the postman; “Button, Button, Who Has the Button?” and “The Needle’s Eye” to supplement lessons on the dressmaker and the tailor; “Hunt the Slipper” while the children are studying the shoemaker; “The Muffin Man” and “Jack, Jack, the Bread’s a-Burning” in connection with the baker. “What’s Your Trade?” may be adapted to any one of the occupations and is played as follows:
Children divide into two groups by choosing sides or by any other arrangement. ”

“ In the green house is a white house,
In the white house is a red house,
The red house is full of little negroes.
A watermelon
[66]
THE BANANA MAN
“Ba-na-nas! Ba-na-nas!” called the banana man.
“Who is calling?” said Bobby.
“The banana man,” answered Betty.
“I see him,” said Bobby. “He is coming down the street with his pushcart.”
Again the banana man called out, “Ba-na-nas! Ba-na-nas!”
“Let’s ask Mother if we can buy some bananas,” said Bobby.
Bobby and Betty ran in to Mother.
“O Mother,” said Betty. “The banana man is coming. Please buy some bananas.” ”

“ Children readily understand the importance of honesty in weights and measures as well as in making change. They also know that their mothers prefer to buy groceries of a grocer whose store is clean and orderly and whose stock is of excellent quality. ”

“ Let the children dramatize these lessons, using their own experiences with the iceman, milkman, and other workers as well as the materials given in the text. If at first they act the story in pantomime, let them do so. Young children have difficulty in the use of language and can secure more rapid action by means of gestures and pantomime. Such play develops clear mental pictures which soon find expression in words. It is well to give children freedom in dramatic play. ”

“ They will learn to respect and honor the efficient and faithful worker and, it may be, even at this early age, get a glimpse of why it is that some do not succeed. Ethical ideas should not be forced upon the children, but can be brought out in their dramatic play and other activities. ”

“ They can easily understand that the groceryman must understand his business, know how and what to buy as well as how to keep his stock in good order and sell it in a businesslike way. They will be interested in learning what each of the workers does for the community and what we as members of the community do for each in return for his service. ”

“ Children of the first group choose some occupation they are to act in pantomime, but do not tell the second group of children, for they are to guess it. When all are ready the two groups approach each other from opposite sides of the room. ”

“ Children are able to find ways and means of making such furniture, but they should not be deprived of the opportunity of seeing good forms made by others. At this period in the child’s life finished workmanship is not the aim. ”

“ Tiny dolls may be made to represent the people, and tiny pushcarts, wheelbarrows, milk wagons, and automobiles for the street and alley. Larger pushcarts and wagons may be made as separate projects from time to time, but in the one under consideration everything must be on a small scale. ”

“ Such compositions foster the creative impulse found in every child in the pre-school period, but too often atrophied through disuse on account of conditions and methods not yet altogether out of date in our educational system. ”

“ But [167] my little ones must not let music pull them away from home.”
“Next time it pulls, I’ll pull the other way,” said Bobby.
“Bobby did pull a little,” said Betty. “Next time I’ll help him and we’ll come back to you.”
“That is right. Listen to the music when the organ-grinder is in this block,” said Mother. “When he goes to the next block, it is time to pull away from the music and come home to Mother.”
“I’m glad we are home now,” said Bobby. ”

“ The iceman is a jolly fellow,
Gee up, Jerry and Joe!
—Grade III, North School,
Hinsdale, Illinois
Snow, snow faster,
Come again at Easter.
[17]
MAKING APPLE PIES
Did you ever make a pie?
Bobby and Betty make pies.
Mother gives them little pieces of pie crust.
They lay the pie crust on the bread-board.
They roll it with a rolling-pin.
[18]
They put the pie crust on little pie tins and pat it down.
Then Mother gives each of them a nice red apple.
Bobby pares his apple.
Betty pares her apple.
They quarter the apples.
They core them.
They slice them and fill their pies. ”

“ The salesman then took off one of Bobby’s shoes and put a new shoe on his foot.
He took off one of Betty’s shoes and put a new shoe on her foot.
“Be sure the shoes are long enough,” said Mother. “The children are growing fast.” ”

“ They love them, however, and delight in repeating them for others to guess.
Original poems by children. In preparing the lessons it was not difficult to find rimes and jingles of the old trades and [194] tradesmen, but nothing could be found in folklore on the newer occupations such as those of the iceman, laundryman, grocer, garbage man, policeman, and newsboy. It did not seem well to present these occupations without some appropriate rime, so an appeal was made to children of primary grades to assist the author by making rimes. ”

“ Then they bring them back to Teddy-bear and Dolly.
For study and play:
Does the laundryman ever call at your house?
Does your mother make a list of the clothes she sends to the laundry?
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Who hath a good trade
Through all waters may wade.
[139]
AT THE BARBER’S SHOP
Sometimes Father goes to the barber’s shop.
Sometimes Bobby and Betty go.
The barber cuts their hair.
One morning Father said to Bobby, “Your hair is too long. You should go to the barber and have him cut it.”
“All right,” said Bobby.
“Betty’s hair should be cut,” said Mother. ”

“ The project will not completely satisfy unless the baker himself appears on the scene. Whether the toy baker shall be fashioned from a clothes-pin, a piece of cornstalk, corn husks, twigs, cloth, or wood may be left to the children, who doubtless will be pleased to include in the dress the characteristic white coat or apron and a white cap. ”