Benjamin A. Gorman
Remember the stuffed animal, the videogame, the die or toy novelties that have all materialized at one time or another in the classroom? Should it surprise us that students still want or need to play? Students, like all of us at different times, wait to escape age or job limitations and steal backwards into the self exercising our imagination. Toys are often the focus of this escape; remember that they are the tools of play.
The following classroom lessons are designed to have students think of and look at toys. The lessons will help develop the students’ awareness that toys serve an important role not just as playthings by which we grow, but are objects that mirror our culture, past and present. These suggested lessons can be expanded and added to as the teacher desires. It is hoped that they can be taught in the spirit of fun, because toys are supposed to be fun and so can learning.
Lesson I
Let’s talk toys.
Objective
Students will understand the function of toys in relation to growth development.
Activities
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1.
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Define what a toy is. Ask the students to write their own definitions. Consult the dictionary and compare. Remember that anything that a child plays with can be a toy, but the main characteristic is that it must be fun.
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2.
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On a sheet of paper, have the students name their favorite childhood toy, excluding games or puzzles. Then have them write a short description of the toy—its size, color, shape, the material it was made from, how it may move, etc. Have them answer the following two questions:
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a.
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How old were they when they played with it? and
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b.
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Was the toy used with other children?
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3.
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Make a list on the chalkboard of their favorite toys and have the students copy the list. Across the top of the paper, have them place the following headings:
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Touch
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Sight
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Sound
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Imagination
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Knowledge
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The students should then put a check(s) under each heeding for every toy according to the things that the toy helped to develop in them.
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Discuss which toys provided the greatest opportunity to develop physical growth, mental growth or both. Why? Can the toys on the list be grouped as “realistic” and “educational” as opposed to “imaginative” and “enjoyable”?
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4.
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Can the students name any “teenage” toys? How are they different from their earlier favorite toy? What do they learn from them?
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5.
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As future parents, what toys would they buy for their children?
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6.
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Can the students name any toys that are too complicated to enjoy playing with? Can they name any that do not provide a challenge? Can they name any toys that are not worth the money that they cost?
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Lesson II
Toys in the attic
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Objective
This simple reading assignment will give the students some idea of the history of toys and that toys have been providing children fun for many years.
Activities
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1.
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Duplicate and distribute to the class the story and questions that are on Handout 1. Let the students read and answer the questions; numbers seven and eight may be used for class discussion.
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2.
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Depending upon the class and level of students, the sections in this unit, “Toys Are History” and “Toys Are U.S.” may be read or summarized for the class.
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3.
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Have the students make a list of all the things which may be used as a means of transportation. Have them arrange them in chronological order and then have the students name a toy for each vehicle.
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Lesson III
A toy inventory
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Objective
Students will realize that toys are products of a cultural period and reflect that time.
Activities
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1.
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Have the students make a list of the toys in their homeold/new ones, younger brothers’ or sisters’, or even parent’s old ones. Build a list of at least 10 toys.
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2.
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From the list, make a chart putting the names of the toys under the kind of material that they are made from.
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Wood
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Metal
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Plastic
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Cloth
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Paper
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Mixed
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Once the chart has been completed, do the following:
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a.
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Circle your favorite toy.
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b.
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Underline your second favorite toy.
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c.
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Put a box around the toy that you think is the oldest.
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d.
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Put a star next to any toy that you learned from.
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e.
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Put a dot in front of any toys that were handmade.
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Follow Up: The objective is to have students understand that certain materials were not available and that technological advances can be noted by looking at a range of toys.
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Using the student’s chart of toys listed according to construction materials, compile a longer chart on the chalkboard. Then discuss: 1) What kind(s) could they make themselves? Why? and 2) which groupings would last the longest over many years? Why?
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Using the expanded list of toys on the board, have the students go back in time to 50 years ago. What toys would not have existed? Cross them out. Why would they have not been available? Go back 100 years, then 200 years and eliminate the ones that could not have been made at that time.
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3.
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Using the list made by the students, have them rechart them according to the following categories.
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Building
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Travel
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Family
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Communication
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Work
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Sports
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War
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Space
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Once the chart has been completed, do the following:
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a.
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Circle the toys that are related to the future.
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b.
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Underline the toys that are related to the past.
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c.
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Check each toy that males would play with.
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d.
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Star each one that females would play with.
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Follow Up: The objective is to have students recognize that some toys are timeless while others are more reflective of a certain period.
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Discussion questions: 1) Which group is the largest? Why? Would there be a difference 50, 100, or 200 years ago? Why? 2) Why are toys in the play world related to the real world?
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Compare the toys played with by boys and girls. Are girls favorite toys similar to those of boys? Is the opposite true?
Lesson IV
Toys Are Us.
Objective
Students will examine toys to detect values of current society.
Activities
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1.
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Bring in a number of toys from home or let the students bring in current toys that will be used for close analysis. Divide the class into teams of three or four, each using a different toy.
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2.
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Distribute Handout 2 and complete by observing carefully.
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3.
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Concerning deduction, have the students answer the following questions on the back of Handout 2.
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a.
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How does the toy affect their senses?
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b.
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How is the toy used? How did they obtain it? Who would play with it, boy, girl or both? Is it simple or complex to play with? What can you learn from it?
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c.
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How do you feel about the toy? What feelings might be associated with the toy?
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Let the students share their responses.
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4.
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Concerning speculation, ask the students to respond to: Why were the toys made? Would all children want to play with them? Why are they attractive as playthings? What values in our society do they express?
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Follow Up:
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1.
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Students might draw a toy that might exist 50 years from now. Let them figure how old they would be then.
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2.
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Research toys in other cultures.
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3.
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Discuss—Do toys express adult or childrens’ values?
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4.
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Discuss—What types of toys do adults play with?
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Handout 1 for Lesson II, Activity 2.
Read the following story and then answer the questions below on a separate sheet of paper.
“Just put the penny into his hand,” said Grandpa.
As soon as I did, the figure of Uncle Sam moved his arm downward and slipped the coin into the carpetbag at his feet. Then to my surprise, he nodded his head and his goatee bobbed as to say “thank you.”
Grandpa remarked, “This old
Uncle Sam Bank
still works as well as when I gave it to your father when he was your age.”
The summer heat was making the attic air unbearable, so we carried dad’s old toy box downstairs. As we put the large box with its overflowing contents on the kitchen table, the bank slipped off hitting the table with a crash.
“No damage,” Grandpa said, “these old metal toys are pretty sturdy.”
Standing
Uncle Sam
upright, I asked if every kid had had one of them back then? Grandpa sat and started to examine the bank closely; “No, not everyone, not this type anyway.” Then he leaned back in the chair. I knew that he was going to begin one of his “when I was your age” stories, so I sat down and pretended to be interested.
“There were three types of banks,” he began, “the still banks which were often made in the form of a bank building or a safe, registering banks which worked like cash registers, and the mechanical ones, like
Uncle Sam
here, which were the most fun. A company in Connecticut, the J. and E. Stevens Company, made the first iron banks with movable parts that were operated by small mechanisms that caused your penny to be deposited in a slot. That one company made over two hundred different designs. There were animals, clowns, acrobats, famous people, all with a surprise automatic action when a coin was inserted. They were first made after the Civil War in 1868.”
“That’s old, no wonder that I never saw them in stores,” I said.
“Well times change,” Grandpa replied. “Let me tell you about my most favorite mechanical bank. It was called the
Eagle Bank
and was operated by a lever under the wing. When a coin was put in the eagle’s mouth, she leaned forward, flapped her wings, dropped the coin into a slot under her eaglets in a nest. Then they rose up and opened their beaks.”
“Neat! That sounds like fun; my old piggy bank just stands there.”
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1.
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What would be a good title for the story?
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2.
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How many types of banks were made?
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3.
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How many years ago were mechanical banks first made?
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4.
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What material was the Uncle Sam bank made from?
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5.
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Name four different bank designs.
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6.
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Why are mechanical banks considered as toys?
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7.
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Why do you think that mechanical banks are not popular today?
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8.
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What did children learn from the mechanical bank?
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Handout 2 for Lesson IV, Activity
Description:
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a. length ________; height ________; weight ________.
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b. material(s) made of: ________________________________
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________________________________________________________.
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c. construction (how it is put together)__________________
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________________________________________________________.
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Copy any inscriptions, words, initials, numbers, etc,:
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________________________________________________________.
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a. colors:
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b. shapes:
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c. lines:
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d. textures:
