The Kindergarten Children's Hour: Talks to Children, Volume 3

A popular five-volume set written for mothers of young children, The Kindergarten Children’s Hour was crafted around the belief that “ideal mothers made for ideal children” and that kindergarten had the power to transform society (C. C. Ducharme, p.p. 169). “There are many ways of studying children,” author-editor Lucy Wheelock writes in preface of volume 4, empowering young mothers by concluding, “You only need the loving, watchful observation of one who wishes to know the meaning of all that she sees." Children’s Hour brought early childhood education (or “training” as it was then known) to the masses for an initial payment of 50 cents and monthly installments of one dollar for 12 months. The volumes encompass topics such as occupations (i.e. crafts, songs, and games for children), talks to children (on food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, for example) and talks to mothers on topics ranging from teaching thrift or dealing with a dreamer. An important relic of the kindergarten movement, The Kindergarten Children’s Hour is also critical to historical studies in motherhood and early childhood education. 

Condition and treatment: This is a 20th century red cloth covered binding with an inlayed illustration on the front cover. The cloth is worn along the joints and the endcaps are frayed and torn. The boards are loose and there are detached pages in the front of the binding. Conservation staff will hinge on the loose boards, reattach the loose pages and repair the binding endcaps. The book will be stored in a cloth covered clamshell.