Folk toy as a tool of education: exhibition in the State Museum of Turkmenistan
Today, the State Museum of the State Cultural Center of Turkmenistan shows the exhibits related to the raising children.
Ancient folk toys, samples of national clothes for girls and boys, as well as paintings and file footages about the life of the Turkmen are presented at the exhibition.
The exposition reveals the role of toys in educating children a positive attitude to the labor traditions and customs of the nation as well as in preparing them for a real life. The toy shows that the authors know deep the psychology and spiritual world of children. Only those masters who sincerely and with all their heart loved children, knew what they need, or have been engaged in their upbringing were able to make such toys.
Therefore, the toy, in addition to its development function, had a great educational value. The toy was used to introduce the child to future occupations and duties, contributing to the formation of the future personal quality. The parents of the child not only gave him ready-made toys, but also involved the child to make the self-made ones.
Children used sand and clay to build a house, a furnace, or a well ... Wagons and boats were made from wood; while grass and vines were used to weave baskets, strollers. So, it was a way to get the children acquainted with the world around as well as with the properties of the surrounding objects.
In addition to self-made dolls, miniature mills, musical instruments, bows with arrows and other types of toys, the exposition includes hand-embroidered details of the children’s costume, jewelry, which were specially designed for kids. This is a kind of amulets that were put on the back of children to protect them from “evil eye”, bells tied to the infant’s foot to frighten from “evil influence”, etc.
Paintings and photographs reflecting the national traditions and customs of the Turkmen people were of special attention of visitors.
Svetlana DAVIDOVICH
