Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

"It's definitely not good for everyone to pick them individually. We need to pick them together, and then we can make them into sugar-roasted chestnuts. The kids can take them home so their families can try them."

Xiao Ran offered a suggestion.

Everyone should collect them together, and no matter how many we collect, we'll divide them equally later. That's the only way.

These children are of different ages, so their contributions will certainly be different.

No one else objected to Xiao Ran's suggestion; they all agreed.

The other older scholars don't need to be taken care of; Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi are in charge.

Kids love this kind of class the most; even a great scholar can taste the delicious roasted chestnuts.

Everyone is happy!
Inside the room, Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, Wang Ji, and Chu Liang were eating roasted chestnuts.

"Unexpectedly, it's not bad." Chu Liang smiled.

Yu Shinan put down the chestnut shell in his hand and looked out into the courtyard.

The children had just finished eating chestnuts and were chasing after Xiao Hei.

Yan Yao was still clutching half a chestnut she hadn't finished eating when she took the initiative to pull Third Sister to groom Xiao Hei's fur.

The occasional listlessness she showed in class before was now completely replaced by a lively smile.

Yu Shinan stroked his beard, his tone tinged with a touch of melancholy:

“In the past, when I taught in the classroom, I was always afraid that the children would not be able to sit still and learn, so I thought of giving them more homework. But I saw that they were getting more and more tired of learning, and even their hands felt heavy when they held the pen. Seeing Xiao Xiaolang like this today has made me realize some truths.”

Kong Yingda nodded upon hearing this, and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "Brother Yu is absolutely right."

“A few days ago, when I was teaching the children to recognize the Book of Songs, Di Renjie kept getting distracted, and Princess Chengyang, although she sat upright, had her eyes wandering.”

“But today, when I returned from the mountains, I casually asked about a poem related to ‘autumn harvest’, and Di Renjie was able to reply with ‘Peeling dates in August, harvesting rice in October’. Even Princess Sizi could point to chestnuts and say ‘This is autumn harvest’.”

"It's clear that when they have a good time, they can calm down and learn things quickly."

Chu Liang smiled and handed a chestnut to Wang Ji, then continued, "I used to think that 'playing' was a waste of time, but now it seems that I was just being stubborn."

"Children, when picking chestnuts, you need to distinguish their size and count them. When choosing pebbles, you need to remember what Xiao Xiaolangjun said: 'smooth and without edges.' Isn't this learning?"

"Compared to rote memorization of words from books, children remember better and are more willing to learn through play."

“When I taught Yan Yao arithmetic before, she always frowned. But today, when we were dividing chestnuts, she took the initiative to say, ‘We should divide them equally, so that everyone gets the same amount.’ Isn’t that more effective than just calculating ‘three plus two’ on paper?”

Wang Ji took a sip of tea and said slowly, "When I was young, I lived in seclusion in the mountains. I saw that when mountain sparrows learned to fly, they didn't stay in their nests all day. They would always hop among the branches first before trying to flap their wings."

"The same applies to children's education. Forcing them to study is like tying a sparrow to its nest; it will only be afraid and will not be able to fly."

"Let them have fun first, and once they're relaxed, then guide them to learn. It's like a sparrow willingly flapping its wings—after all, who would refuse to learn something interesting after having fun?"

Yu Shinan looked at the children chasing and playing outside the courtyard, his eyes softening considerably: "Young Master Xiao's 'work-life balance' seems simple, but in fact, he has a thorough understanding of children's nature."

“Perhaps we should change our teaching methods in the future—let them run around in the yard first, identify the plants and trees, and then sit down to read and write. Maybe the effect will be much better. We can’t let books stifle the children’s creativity.”

Kong Yingda agreed wholeheartedly and picked up the book on the table: "I will try it tomorrow. First, I will take them to the ridges of the fields to take a look, and then I will tell them about the agricultural poems in the Book of Songs. I believe they will listen more attentively."

"After all, compared to the 'rice' on paper, the heavy ears of millet in front of them are more likely to help them understand the meaning of the poem."

The group exchanged smiles and then picked up the roasted chestnuts from the table.

The sweet aroma of chestnuts seems to carry a touch of new insights into education, warm and comforting, illuminating the mind and brightening the eyes.

The concept of "balancing work and rest" was not entirely absent from education before the Tang Dynasty.

However, these activities were mostly limited to the "refined pleasures" of the elite class, and never before had "play" been regarded as the core element of early childhood education for ordinary children, as Xiao Ran has done.

His ideas were unique because they broke down the "rigid framework" and "hierarchical boundaries" of education at the time.

They placed "following one's nature" in a more important position than "forcibly imparting knowledge."

Although ancient education had the concept of "not being too hasty or too slow," it was essentially designed to serve "scholars and gentlemen" and had nothing to do with ordinary children, let alone "learning through play."

Confucius proposed "Set your mind on the Way, base yourself on virtue, rely on benevolence, and find enjoyment in the arts." Here, "finding enjoyment in the arts" refers to mastering the six arts of rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, and pursuing a "composure and ease" learning state.

However, this is a "cultivation goal" for adult gentlemen, not an enlightenment method for children.

At that time, children's early education mostly involved "memorizing and learning characters," such as the "Cangjie Pian" and "Shizhou Pian." It relied on repeated reading, and mistakes would be punished, which had nothing to do with "playing."

During the Han Dynasty, the Imperial Academy and private schools mainly taught Confucian classics, and students were required to memorize classics such as the Book of Poetry and the Book of Documents.

Teachers relied on corporal punishment to maintain discipline. The Book of Rites mentions "the two things, the summer cane and the wooden stick, are used to control the students' authority."

Even though a few literati advocated "easy learning," such as Ji Kang, a famous scholar of the Wei and Jin dynasties, who advocated "transcending the established doctrines and following nature," it was merely a personal attitude towards life and was not applied to children's education.

Children from ordinary families either cannot read or can only memorize by rote, while the early education of children from noble families often involves sitting upright and reading.

At most, they might add some refined interests like "music, chess, calligraphy, and painting," but they wouldn't take their children to the mountains to pick chestnuts or to the riverbank to collect pebbles like Xiao Ran did.

The children of Kaolao Village were not carefully selected bright children. Xiao Ran and the village's previous goal was not to take the imperial examination or anything else.

It simply means being able to read and not being illiterate.

However, Wang Ji, Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, Chu Liang, and others all sensed that these children learned things very quickly and were in good condition.

The little princess and Di Renjie are exceptionally gifted and naturally intelligent, so it's reasonable that they learn things quickly.

But if everyone is fast, then it's not a matter of individual talent.

During the Tang Dynasty, many people believed that "education" only had one form.

Sitting at his desk reading, writing, and reciting, Xiao Ran turned "picking chestnuts," "picking stones," and "roasting chestnuts" into "classroom activities."

Distinguishing between good and bad chestnuts is a skill of "observation," while dividing chestnuts equally is a skill of "early arithmetic."

Picking smooth pebbles is "practical cognition," and even dividing tasks with friends is "social learning."

This idea of ​​"learning through play" was something no one had thought of at the time.

For the ancients, "playing" was "wasting time" and "studying" was "serious business." The two were opposed to each other, but Xiao Ran combined them into one.

Before the Tang Dynasty, education was strictly hierarchical: noble children learned the "Six Arts" and "Classics," and had dedicated teachers and study rooms.

The villagers' children either have no opportunity to learn, or they can only learn practical skills such as "bookkeeping and literacy." They never learn together, let alone "pick chestnuts" together.

But Xiao Ran played with everyone, whether it was a princess, a village child, or even a scion of a noble family.

Everyone picked stones and shared chestnuts together. There were no rules like "the princess should sit properly" or "the village children should be obedient." The only rule was "everyone should be happy and learn together."

In the rigidly hierarchical ancient society, this kind of play-based education based on "equal participation" was itself an "anomaly".

In ancient times, children were often seen as "little adults".

They believe that as long as children are "obedient and learn more," they can quickly grow into "qualified adults."

Therefore, the core of education is "discipline" and "indoctrination".

Xiao Ran's idea comes from modern times, treating children as "individuals with independent nature."

Knowing that children need to "play" to release their energy and need to "experience" to understand the world, the core of education is to "follow their nature" and "guide their exploration".

Xiao Ran doesn't force the children to sit down and learn the definition of "autumn fruit." Instead, he takes them to the mountains to see and pick chestnuts. Once the children have had enough fun, they will naturally be able to say, "This is autumn fruit."

Instead of forcing Yan Yao to do arithmetic, he let her figure out "equal division" on her own while dividing chestnuts. This "teaching without teaching" approach seemed "too casual" at the time, but it precisely hit the core of children's education, which is what makes it "special".

Several great scholars also seemed to want to change the child's perception of them, so that it would no longer be the same as before.

I also take the children out when I'm teaching, not just confining them to the living room.

The effect was obvious; the child's condition improved significantly.

Later, they not only picked chestnuts, but also organized a trip to pick persimmons.

Let the children experience this fun too.

The autumn sun washed the sky until it was crystal clear, like a piece of soft blue silk. Even the drifting clouds were so thin that they were almost invisible. When the wind blew, only a few pale white streaks remained.

The summer heat has long since dissipated in the wind, replaced by the aroma of dried chestnut stalks.

The stone millstone in the threshing ground was still covered with millet, and next to it were several neatly bundled millet stalks, like sturdy little hills, guarding the empty threshing ground and radiating the lingering warmth of the harvest.

Even though the busy farming season is over, it seems that every household still has endless things to do.

The tomatoes have been sold one batch after another, and they can still be sold now.

Unfortunately, tomatoes are now available in several nearby villages, but the price is much lower than before, though still more valuable than corn.

Now we have to start picking chestnuts and making persimmon cakes again.

The family's living conditions have improved a lot, and there is no longer any worry about not having enough to eat, but people still glean millet ears in the fields.

Before, Third Sister would often pick them up by herself with a basket, but now it's different; it's a group of children.

Yu Shinan and Wang Ji would arrange for the children in the school to pick up the food so that they would know how hard it was to obtain food.

Kaolao Village is actually quite wealthy now, but people still cherish millet and other grains.

This was grown with great effort; I had gone through hunger before, so I certainly couldn't waste it.

No classes, it's a day off again.

The little princess, Third Sister, and the others followed Zhang Erya as they dried persimmon cakes in the courtyard.

Xiao Ran previously said it was too much trouble, and that she didn't need to dry the food herself; she could just buy it whenever she wanted.

But Zhang Erya couldn't stay idle and wanted to dry some herself.

The little princess gently pinched the persimmon cake. Now everyone knows that persimmon cakes only taste better after they have been pinched and frost-covered.

After finishing her work, the little princess ran to Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi's side.

Often, when they saw Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi chatting together, the others would consciously refrain from disturbing them.

Except for the little princess, she prefers to see Xiao Ran.

She threw herself into Xiao Ran's arms, crying, "Little Nang-jun~ Look at the sheep~"

Xiao Ran, holding the little princess, said, "Sizi, let's not look at it now, let's go do something fun, okay?"

"Is this roasted chestnut?" The little princess thought it was fun and delicious.

"No!" Xiao Ran pulled the little princess up. "Come on, let's try it!"

Xiao Ran went to find some stiff paper, as well as scissors, a sickle, and bamboo.

The little princess, the little princess of Chengyang, Third Sister, Yan Yao, and Di Renjie all looked at Xiao Ran with curiosity.

"Young master, what are you doing?" Princess Yuzhang asked curiously as she came over.

"I'll make windmills for Sizi and the others to play with," Xiao Ran said with a smile.

Similar to windmills and bamboo, or perhaps the theory itself has existed for a long time.

The windmills we're making now definitely didn't exist in the Tang Dynasty.

With Princess Li Lizhi and a group of children as witnesses, Xiao Ran quickly completed the first windmill.

It's very small, just the right size to hold in your hand; Xiao Ran gave it to a few children to play with.

The children's eyes lit up when they saw the windmill start turning.

"Wow~" the little princess exclaimed excitedly, "That's amazing!"

"Little Nang is so awesome~"

Xiao Ran lifted it a little higher, and the windmill spun even faster.

The little princess pointed with her tiny finger, "Little Pouch-kun~ I want one too~"

"This looks fun!"

"Okay!" Xiao Ran handed the windmill to the little princess.

The little princess quickly caught it, "Hehe~"

The little princess was very happy watching the windmill turn.

The little princess didn't keep it all to herself; she shared it with the others so they could also experience it.

Di Renjie suddenly realized that the windmill spun faster when he ran.

The little princesses loved to run around the yard with their windmills.

The courtyard, which was rarely quiet, suddenly became lively, filled with the laughter of children.

Li Yuan, Empress Xiao, and the others sipped their tea and smiled, quite envious.

When Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang saw Xiao Ran step forward first, they both learned how to do it.

Li Lizhi held the windmill in her hand and said, "This is quite interesting."

"Mine is ready too." Princess Yuzhang picked it up and found that it could also be spun.

If it can be transferred, it means it was successful.

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang were both very skillful, and their creations were even more beautiful than Xiao Ran's.

"Third Sister, Second Sister, there are two more here, come and take them," Li Lizhi called out.

Third Sister and Princess Chengyang ran over and took the little windmill away.

Before long, each of the little princesses had one, and they ran around the yard with them.

The windmill's turn seemed to flip a switch that brought laughter to children.

Li Lizhi also held one, looked at the windmill and smiled.

The other children thought the wind was too weak in the yard, so they took the windmills to the fields outside.

Several children lined up, each holding a small windmill.

Li Lizhi and Xiao Ran followed behind.

"As expected, once we go to school tomorrow, I reckon everyone else will want this too, and soon all the children in the school will be able to make it," Li Lizhi said, holding Xiao Ran's hand. (End of Chapter)