Kindergarten Story Book ........Hoxie PART IV PHYSICAL TRAINING HEALTH REQUISITES EVERY parent appreciates the superlative importance of the slogan "Health First!" Without health first, all the mental education and book learning in the world are of little value. To be a good animal is the fundamental requisite on which to build an educational superstructure. But it is far from sufficient, as many parents think, merely to let the child " run wild" out of doors, or to harden him by exposure. Rousseau even advocated sending the child out in leaky shoes to accustom him to exposure, but such treatment is too heroic for young children, especially at the period of rapid growth between four and five as there is risk of bringing on rheumatic endocarditis and other chronic troubles. On the other hand, strange to say, the children that have the most care and attention often seem to be the most prone to colds, digestive upsets and other disorders. Even children that have their daily fresh air walk and out of door plays are often merely bundled up sensitive plants, susceptible to every draft, raw |