In this story written for a three-year-old group, I have tried to present the familiar setting of the cla.s.sroom from a new point of view and to give the presentation a very obvious pattern. I want the children to take an _active_ part in the story. But before they try to do this I want them to have some conception of the whole pattern of the story so that their contributions may be in proper design, both in substance and in length. That is the reason I give two samples before throwing the story open to the children. If each child has a part which falls into a recognized scheme, through performing that part he gets a certain practice in pattern making in language,--however primitive--and also a certain practice in the technique of co-operation which means listening to the others as well as performing himself. I have not tried to add anything to their stock of information,--merely to give them the pleasure of drawing on a common fund together.

THE ROOM WITH THE WINDOW LOOKING OUT ON THE GARDEN

Once there was a little girl. She was just three years old. One morning she and her mother put on their hats and coats right after breakfast.

They walked and walked and walked from their house until they came to MacDougal Alley. And then they walked straight down the alley into the Play School. Now the little girl had never been to the Play School before and she didn't know where anything was and she didn't know any of the children and she didn't even know her teacher! So she asked her mother, "Which room is going to be mine?" And her mother answered, "The one with the window looking out on the garden."

And sure enough, when the little girl looked around there was the sun shining right in through a window which looked out on a lovely garden!

She knelt right down on the window sill to look out.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Then she heard some one say, "Little New Girl, why don't you take off your things?" She turned around and there was Virginia talking to her.

"Because I don't know where to put them," said Little New Girl. "How funny!" laughed Virginia, "because see, here are all the hooks right in plain sight," and she pointed under the stairs. So the little girl took off her hat and her mittens. Her mother had to unb.u.t.ton the hard top b.u.t.ton but she did all the rest. Then she hung up everything on a hook.

"Goodbye," said her mother. "Goodbye," said Little New Girl. "Don't forget to come for me because I don't know where anything is and I don't know the children and I don't even know my teacher." And her mother answered, "No, I won't." And then she was gone.

"Now, Little New Girl, what do you want to do?" said her teacher. But the little girl only shook her head and said, "I don't know anything to do." One little boy said, "Let me show Little New Girl something." And what did he show her? He took her over to the shelves and he showed her the blocks. "You can build a house or anything with them," said the little boy.

Then another little girl said, "Let me show Little New Girl something."

And what did this other little girl show her? She showed her the dolls.

"You can put them into a house," said this other little girl.

"Who else can show Little New Girl something to do?" called her teacher.

"Will you, Robert?" So what did Robert show her? (Give child ample time to think. If he does not respond go on.) Robert took her over to the shelves and showed her the paper and crayons. "You can draw ever so many pictures," said Robert.

Then Virginia said, "Let me show Little New Girl something." So what did Virginia show her?--Virginia showed her the horses and wagons. "You can harness them up," said Virginia.

Then Craig said, "Let _me_ show Little New Girl something." So what did Craig show her?--Craig showed her the beads. "You can string them in strings," said Craig.

Then Peter said, "Let _me_ show Little New Girl something." So what did Peter show her?--Peter showed her the clay. "You can make anything you want out of it," said Peter.

Then Tom said, "Let _me_ show Little New Girl something." So what did Tom show her? Tom showed her the saw and hammer and nails. "You can saw or hammer nails," said Tom.

Then Barbara said, "Let me show Little New Girl something." So what did Barbara show her? Barbara showed her the paper and scissors. "You can cut out anything you want," said Barbara.

"Now Little New Girl, what do you want to do?" said her teacher. And this time the little girl jumped right up and down and said, "I'm glad!

I want to do everything." "But which thing first?" asked her teacher.

"Let me watch," the Little New Girl said.

So Little New Girl stood quite still. She saw Robert go and get some paper and crayons and sit down at his little table to draw. She saw Virginia get some horses and harness and sit down at her little table to harness them. She saw Craig get some beads and sit down at his little table to string them. She saw Peter get the clay and sit down at his little table to model. She saw Tom go to the bench and begin to saw a piece of wood. She saw Barbara get some paper and scissors and paste and sit down at her little table to cut out and to paste.

Then she said, "I want to draw first." So she took some paper and some colored crayons and she sat down at a little table near the window looking out on the garden. There she drew and she drew and she drew. And she didn't feel like a Little New Girl at all for now she knew where everything was and she knew all the children and she knew her teacher.

THE ROOM WITH THE WINDOW LOOKING OUT ON THE GARDEN

I know a yellow room With great big sliding doors And a window on the side Looking out upon a garden.

There's a balcony above With a bench for carpenters With planes and saws and hammers, Bang! bang! with nails and hammers.

There are hooks beneath the stairs To hang up hats and coats, And nearby there's a sink With everybody's cup.

There's a rope and there's a slide Zzzip! but there's a slide.

There are shelves and shelves and shelves With colored silk and beads, With paper and with crayons, And a great big crock with clay.

And the're blocks and blocks and blocks And blocks and blocks and blocks And the're horses there and wagons And cows and dogs and sheep, And men and women, boys and girls With clothes upon them too.

And then the're cars to make a train With engine and caboose.[B]

And the're lots of little tables In this yellow, yellow room For boys and girls to sit at And play with all those things.

And there's a great big floor In this yellow, yellow room For boys and girls to sit on And play with all those things.

And there is lots of sunshine In this yellow, yellow room For boys and girls to sit in And play with all those things.

[B] _At this point the teacher might ask, "What else?" Not the first time, however. The children must get the outline as a whole before they contribute. Otherwise they will be entirely absorbed by the content._

THE MANY-HORSE STABLE

All the material for this story was supplied by a three-year-old. The pattern was added. An older child would not be content with so sketchy an account. But it seems to compa.s.s a three-year-old's most significant a.s.sociations with a stable. The t.i.tle is one in actual use by a four-year-old cla.s.s.

THE MANY-HORSE STABLE

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Once there was a stable. The stable was in a big city. Downstairs in the stable there were many g-r-e-a-t b-i-g wagons and one little-bit-of-a wagon. And on the walls there were many g-r-e-a-t b-i-g harnesses and one little-bit-of-a harness. And there were many g-r-e-a-t b-i-g blankets and one little-bit-of-a blanket. And there were some g-r-e-a-t b-i-g whips and one little-bit-of-a whip. And there were some g-r-e-a-t b-i-g nose bags and one little-bit-of-a nose bag. Upstairs in the stalls there were some g-r-e-a-t b-i-g horses and one little-bit-of-a pony.

In the morning the men would come and harness up the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g horses with the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g harnesses to the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g wagons.

They would put in the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g blankets and the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g whips and the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g nose bags. Then they would get up on the seats and gather up the reins and off down the street would go the g-r-e-a-t b-i-g horses. Clumpety-lumpety b.u.mp! thump! Clumpety-lumpety b.u.mp! thump!

Then a little-bit-of-a man would harness up the little-bit-of-a pony with the little-bit-of-a harness to the little-bit-of-a wagon. He would put in the little-bit-of-a blanket and the little-bit-of-a whip and the little-bit-of-a nose bag. Then he would get up on the seat and gather up the reins and off down the street would go the little-bit-of-a pony!

Lippety-lippety! lip! lip! lip! Lippety-lippety! lip! lip! lip!

MY KITTY

Here there is no plot. Instead I have attempted to enumerate the a.s.sociations which cl.u.s.ter around a kitten, and present them in a patterned form.