Tuesday, October 09, 2007

From Mind and Hand, 1886, quoting Dr. George Wilson:
"In many respects the organ of touch, as embodied in the hand, is the most wonderful of the senses. The organs of the other sense are passive; the organ alone of touch is active... The hand selects what it shall touch, and touches what it pleases. It puts away from it the things which it hates, and beckons towards it the things which it desires... Moreover, the hand cares not only for its own wants, but when the other organs of the senses are rendered useless takes their duties upon it... The blind man reads with his hand, the dumb man speaks with it; it plucks the flower for the nostril, and supplies the tongue with objects of taste. Not less amply does it give expression to the wit, the genius, the will, the power of man. Put a sword into it and it will fight, a plough and it will till, a harp and it will play, a pencil and it will paint, a pen and it will speak. What moreover, is a ship, a railway, a light-house, or a palace--what indeed is a whole city, a whole continent of cities, all the cities of the globe, nay the very globe itself, so far as man has changed it, but the work of that giant hand with which the human race, acting as one mighty man, has executed his will."
And we, choosing to leave the hands of our children untrained in skill and sensitivity, place ourselves and our planet at risk.

Today in the Clear Spring wood shop, the 3rd and 4th grade students will be making their own writing pens based on an early Sloyd model, but also to allow them to write letters home from their journey by wagon train across our nation. The first and 2nd grade students will be making delivery trucks as part of their study of our community. Photos will come later.

No comments:

Post a Comment