"Yes," said Miss Jessie, looking over her portfolio, "I have a coloring, cutting and pasting exercise about once a month. It correlates drawing, language, and reading, you know," and she laughed as she looked up at her friend and fellow-teacher, Miss Ainsworth. "What is it to be to-morrow?" asked Miss Ainsworth. "I really have forgotten, just wait until I find my March exercise," said Miss Jessie, as she turned over the sheets in the big brown portfolio. "Ah, here it is," and she held up a sheet, 'March hares,' you know, but they are really rabbits," she laughed. The sheet was of the regular drawing paper size, 6 x 9". As in Miss Jessie's other landscapes, the sheet was laid lengthwise on the desk, the upper half was colored a pale blue to represent the sky, and the lower half green for the "grass of the field." On the horizon line were faint streaks of purple mingled with darker green to represent a line of far away trees. On the green grass were pasted little rabbits cut from paper, some white with pink eyes and ears, some black and white and some brown. "Where do you get your ideas?" asked Miss Ainsworth. "Well," said Miss Jessie, 'Alice in Wonderland' is responsible for this. Don't you remember the 'March hare,' the 'Mad teaparty' and the 'Rabbit Hole where Alice met the White Rabbit'?" "The children will write sentences about the rabbits; they will tell me about their homes, what they eat, their habits and their appearance, and I shall read them a little story about a rabbit. It is one that I made up myself, with a rather uncertain ending, but one which will excite the imagination," and Miss Jessie read from her notebook as follows: Little Bunny was a rabbit. He had soft white fur, two pink eyes like jewels, and two long, dainty pink-lined ears. He had a funny little stubby tail, too, just like a ball of fur. All day long little Bunny played in the green grass in the field. He ate the tender new grass and the juicy clover plants. He ran about and jumped here and there and was happy all day long in the sunshine. 4 At night he would crawl into a hole in the ground and go to sleep, and in the early morning he was up and nibbling at the dewy clover. The children loved Bunny. Every day some one of them would go down to the field to see how the little rabbit was getting on. They would take lettuce and cabbage leaves to him, and they were pleased when he would come up shyly and take the leaves from their hands. One day when they went to look for their little pet, he was gone. They searched for him all over the field, but could find nothing of him. Little Bert always said that the wicked old hawk which had carried away one of old Fluffy's downy chicks had swooped down upon poor little Bunny in the field and had carried him away. What do you think? "Now," concluded Miss Jessie, "you see the story is left rather indefinite, and you may be sure that thirty-five or forty busy imaginations will, everyone, have some solution to offer as to the little rabbit's fate." Mother Goose Language Lessons Dear old Mother Goose! what should we do without her, and her brood of "Happy-go-Lucky" children? Have any of the teachers tried the Mother Goose Language lessons for second grade? I found my grade very hard to interest in stories and in the reproduction of them, either written or oral. I decided to try the Mother Goose stories with them. I bought some books with Mother Goose rhymes and pictures. I showed them the pictures, then told the stories as interestingly as possible. I then let them tell stories, after which we repeated the rhymes. Next I gave them little. slips with some appropriate picture on them, and asked them to write four sentences about this picture. For instance, the day we had Little Boy Blue, I gave them slips with a horn drawn on them. I think neat slips prepared by the teacher, and just the right size for the work you want, are very helpful in securing neat written work. On Jack and Jill day, the slips had water-pails drawn on them. These stories are so helpful for drills. We had a regular "Jack Horner Friday" once. A big pie was drawn on the board with words for plums. The primer class picked them out. Then a pie made of stiff paper, and filled with slips with words written on them was passed, and every child stuck in a thumb and pulled out a plum. The same drill also proved helpful in the second grade as a drill in taking away. Several pies were drawn, the plums counted, then taken out by one's and two's and three's. I was partly indebted to PRIMARY EDUCATION for this plan. Once a week I vary the writing period by handing out slips with a line from our memory gem written on them as a copy - we were learning the poem, "October's Party." I drew a leaf on paper, and wrote one line from the poem. B. F. S. A Sewing Card The wren's box was under the eaves at the corner of the house. The entrance to this tiny, cozy cottage was through a door the exact size of a twenty-five cent piece. This diameter allowed the wren to enter her home with perfect ease while the sparrows could do no more than peep within. The door had no entrance step nor porch, but the roof of the well-curb, close by, served for this purpose. The sparrows decided to keep the wren from feeding her family. In consequence, a regiment would line up on the roof of the house ready for battle. The anxious mother, returning with her dainty worm morsel, was sorely distressed. Her cry brought me to the rescue. Flirting my apron at the sparrow intruders I completely routed them"for the time being." The wren was quick to learn her relief party. She would alight on the roof of the well-curb, just opposite the "army" drop her bit of food and sing a sweet, trilling song, to let me know of her return and need of help. (When the enemy was absent she failed to call me.) After the birdlets were fed the little mother would pour forth a seemingly extra song of thankfulness. This performance was repeated until the wren's family was able to go into the busy world of workers. The sparrows never ceased to bother; the wren never ceased to work and sing. - Birds and Nature Do you see my new and handsome kite? (Elbows out, fingers meeting in a point.) Now watch it fly quite out of sight. Here comes a gust of strong March wind, Blow, blow, now high up my kite 'twill send. (Pretend to launch kite with right hand and to hold string with left hand.) I will hold the kite string with great care so, For the March wind is strong when it starts to blow, Just watch my kite up there so high, (Point right hand upward, hold string with left hand and look up.) It looks like a bird in the cloudy sky, The wind blows hard and the string tugs so, I think I will wind it up and so (Pretend to wind up the string.) Down, down comes my kite from so far on high, (Arms extended as if to receive kite.) Did you have a fine sail in the bright blue sky? says, "Wake up,you sleepy heads, For spring has come around." out for you are springtime's pet,And help the world to sing. Playing Bear MARTHA BURR BANKS (One child takes the part of the March Wind, and each of four other children speaks one line of the verse. In response, the Wind howls and growls, and as the children laugh and run, he chases them about the platform.) March Wind! March Wind! Oh, no, we'll laugh and run And shout as you chase us here and there: For all the little children know You're only playing bear. MEETINGS OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION The Secretary of the Association, Mr. Irwin Shepard, has written the following to the educational press, regarding the N. E. A. meeting. THE BOSTON CONVENTION, July 2 to 8, 1910 We had hoped to be able to make an announcement of the place of meeting for the next Association before this date, but it has been impossible because of delay in securing satisfactory rates. The New England Lines, as early as October, 1909, tendered a rate of one and one-fourth fare for the round trip on the certificate plan, but the tender was conditional on the concurrence of the Trunk Lines and their western connections. At three successive meetings of the Trunk Line Association the tender of the New England Lines was rejected, and instead a rate of one and one-half fare offered. Our Executive Committee were willing to accept a rate of one and one-fourth fare, or an increase of 25 per cent over the rates granted in 1903 (Boston Meeting) and 1905 (Asbury Park Meeting) since the lines had increased the convention rates for small conventions from one and one-third fare to cne and three-fifths fare for conventions of 100 and to one and one-half fare for conventions of 1000 (an increase of 25 per cent and 17 per cent respectively); but the proposition to raise our convention rate 50 per cent (from one fare to one and one-half fare) seemed so unjust and discriminatory against us, especially in view of the lower rates for summer tourists and occasional excursions which would prevail, that the Executive Committee, on January 17, announced a decision adverse to holding the annual convention for 1910 in Boston on account of unsatisfactory railroad rates. Two days later the New England Passenger Association met in Boston, and at that meeting the Grand Trunk Railway gave individual notice that it would put in a rate of one jare for the round trip from Chicago and Milwaukee, and points eastward on their line, should the Convention be held in Boston. The acceptance of this rate by lines through the Albany and New York gateways is so well assured that we are now announcing, through the As sociated Press, the selection of Boston as the next place of Convention, July 2 to 8, 1910. INDIANAPOLIS CONVENTION Although the promise is excellent for a very profitable convention and a large attendance, we need all the assistance possible to insure the attendance of 1000 holders of railway certificates from beyond fifty miles of Indianapolis. We do not wart to meet again the embarrassments of last year. Will you not, therefore, kindly urge that all attending, from outside of fifty miles, use the certificate plan even though they may have some other form of transportation, and that they deposit their certificates with the Secretary at the Claypool Hotel immediately on arrival, since no certificates can be validated until 1000 have been deposited. Last year when we were a few short, and reference to Massachusetts, that while the average city carries all the children through the sixth grade, Brockton car ries all her children through the seventh grade. The average city in Massachusetts carries 70 per cent of the children in elementary schools through the eighth grade, while Brockton is 10 per cent higher -carrying 80 per cent of the children through the eighth grade. Comparing Brockton with the whole United States, Mr. Ayres has found that while Brockton carries two-thirds of her pupils through the entire course, the average in the whole United States is one-half through the entire course. In considering the relation of the elementary schools to the high schools Brockton ranks high among the cities in this State. The typical city in Massachusetts carries one-half of its pupils into the high school, and one-fifth through. Brockton carries as many into the high school and puts more of them through. The Suffragette Though some may differ from her views in the matter of the franchise, we must admire the vigor and vim she displays for her cause. They are associated with the energy of perfect health. Woman, whether she toils or follows the whims of society, whether she be engaged in earning a pittance or guiding the destinies of a household, is the most powerful factor in the world of to-day. The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. The prime necessity of every woman, therefore, is Health. We need robust, active, energetic women, not physical wrecks that suffer torture with every change of wind or weather. How may this health be acquired? By keeping the digestion perfect, the bowels active, the liver well regulated-in short, by keeping the body in the best physical condition. The remedy is right at hand. No matter how the suffragette feels on political questions, if she is wise she Will Cast Her Votes for the remedy that has performed more cures, set more women firmly BEECHAM'S Sold everywhere in boxes, 10c., 25c. Women who value good health should read special instructions in every box. Send for our Free book "Help to Scholars" containing Weights and Measures and other useful informatiin. B. F. Allen & Co., 367 Canal Street, New York. |