Receiving his material thus arranged, the child will use it
with ever-recurrent and increasing satisfaction, and his play
will produce far more abiding results than the play of one
whose material lies before him like a heap of
cobblestones."--Froebel's _Pedagogics_, page 205.

The exercises with this gift are like those which have preceded it.

Exercises of the Gift

1. Informal questions by the kindergartner and answers by the
children, on its introduction, that it may be well understood. This
should be made entirely conversational, familiar, and playful, but a
logical plan of development should be kept in mind. A consideration of
the various pieces of the gift may occupy a part of each building or
number lesson.

2. Dictation, building by suggestion, and cooperative plays in the
various forms. With all except advanced children the Life forms are
most useful and desirable.[48]

[48] "The child, in a word, follows the same path as the man,
and advances from use to beauty and from beauty to
truth."--Froebel's _Pedagogics_, page 219.

3. Free invention with each lesson.

4. Number and form lessons. In number there will of course be some
repetition of what has been done before, but a sufficient amount of
new presentation to awaken interest. It is only by constant review and
repetition that we can assist children to remember these things and to
receive them among their natural experiences, and fortunately the
habit of repetition in childhood is a natural one, and therefore
seldom irksome.

Errors in Form Teaching.

As to the form lessons, we must remember that our method has nothing
to do with scientific geometry, but is based entirely on inspection
and practice. It lays the foundation of instruction in drawing, and
forms an admirable preparation for different trades, as carpentry,
cabinet-making, masonry, lock-smithing, pattern-making, etc. Even in
the primary schools, and how much more in the kindergarten, the form
or geometrical work should be essentially practical and given by
inspection. Even there all scientific demonstration should be
prohibited, and the teacher should be sparing in definitions.

It is enough if the children recognize the forms by their special
characteristics and by perceiving their relations, and can reproduce
the solids in modeling, and the planes and outlines in tablets,
sticks, rings, slats, drawing, and sewing.[49]

[49] "The Conference re