Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

Standing there at the window, the children may see in the dim light the bright male cardinal, and with him the female, which is a dull brownish red. The birds usually fly to the apple tree first, then look all around, give their call, "Click! Click!" then fly down to the feeding table. They are shy birds, looking around each time before taking a mouthful. (Be careful to keep the house-cat away from the box, as the cat is the bird's worst enemy.)

Later in the evening Kenneth saw the Cardinals leave the yard. Snow was falling. When he came into the house, he said, "I wonder where those Cardinals will sleep tonight." Will you watch, and try to answer Kenneth's question?

Remember that the birds are in great need of our help through the months of December, January, February and March. In the week of December 10th, 1919, a Robin was found in a yard in Indianapolis with its feet frozen. It was taken into the house and warmed. When food was offered, it refused to eat, but when water was offered it drank freely. The next day it seemed well enough to go, and it was freed. Here's a question, when everything is frozen, and often snowcovered, how are the birds to find drinking water? Will some one who reads this suggest a way?

It is the earnest wish of the writer that every teacher, and every boy and girl in Indiana, have some special place where the birds may be fed regularly. Every country and village school may have one or more of these feeding stations, to be looked after by the pupils going to and from school.

In addition, leave a few corn shocks for bird shelters. If weeds and brush can be piled together, with boards or heavy limbs on top to keep it from blowing over, this will make an excellent shelter for Bob Whites, Juncoes and Tree Sparrows. Weed seeds are shattering out, which serve as food when no other is at hand.

Every city school may have a bird table (the common wooden box), a window shelf and fat beef or suet tied to the limbs of trees (select limbs near the windows, so that observations are easily made). Use the old Christmas trees, and on them hang popcorn, dried bread, apple peel and fat beef, and make a bird's Christmas tree.

The Boy Scouts, and some of the rural mail carriers, have been asked to supply the birds with food regularly at some particular place. If everyone. helps, many of our birds will be saved. from freezing (for birds freeze easily when they can get no food to make heat in the body), and there will be many more birds next summer to cheer us with their songs, and to do their share of work in raising food.

Keep a list of the birds that you see this winter around the different feeding places, and please send a record of your observations to Teachers' College, Twenty-third and Alabama streets, Indianapolis, Ind.

These reference books are most helpful in bird study:

Nature Study and Life... Hodge Hand Book of Nature Study----

-Comstock

Birds of Eastern N. A.------Chapman
The Bird Study Book.
The Woodpeckers

Primary Number Work

By Bertha King, Teachers' College of Indianapolis. Children begin to notice relations. among things (which is thinking) at a much earlier age than we realize. Dr. Thorndike's Primary Arithmetic recognizes this fact and applies it to objects in the child's world. The prob

Pearson Eckstorm

lems in counting, grouping, buying and selling grow out of the child's study of the pictures of children's playthings with the cost attached to each article. But there are very few arithmetics in use in our schools today that

have the present prices attached to the articles; so in order to make the problems practical, teachers. must make their own arithmetics for this kind of work. The teacher of the 2B and 2A grades of the model school in Teachers' College has made charts of this kind and finds that it is rich in material for good number lessons. Attractive pictures from fashion magazines and papers illustrating articles of clothing, such as hats, shirtwaists, shoes, gloves, ornaments and all wearing apparel of men, women and children were cut out and pasted on cardboard 5 inches wide and 14 inches long. The prices of today are placed with these pictures. Each child is provided with one of these charts.

Problems like the following grow out of the use of these pictures. The child' reads from the board: My mother bought a pair of gloves and a handbag.

How much change did she re

ceive from a ten-dollar bill? The child consults the chart, finds the prices of these articles, and solves the problem. There is no limit to the number and variety of problems that grow out of a study of these charts. For example, what will four pairs of shoes and two umbrellas cost? Or, I have $25 to spend for Christmas gifts for father. mother and sister. Select the articles that I can buy for this money. Or, will $15 be enough to buy the waist and two handkerchiefs?

The children of this room have become interested in bringing attractive pictures of many different articles, and it is our plan to enlarge upon this small chart and develop a department store, not only making the work still more interesting, but also affording more opportunity for further study. In another article this plan will be claborated.

Indiana State Kindergarten Association

President-Eliza A. Blaker, Indianapolis.

Vice-President-Ruth Patterson, In-
dianapolis.

Recording Secretary-Frances Berry,
Richmond.

Corresponding Secretary-Mary Afri-
ca, Indianapolis.

Treasurer-Helen Wesp, Anderson.

Indiana is among the first of the states to accept the suggestions of the Bureau of Education concerning the organization of State Kindergarten Associations. It is hoped that by this time next year there will be enrolled as members of the association, which was formed in November by kindergartners from fourteen different kindergarten centers, all Indiana kindergartners and all people interested in the kindergarten movement in the state. In each community which is blessed with kindergartens, let the kindergartners band themselves together and gather unto themselves other interested persons to form a chapter of the State Kindergarten Association. In communities. where there are no kindergartens let some one who wishes

to advance the kindergarten cause, a mother who wishes' her children to have the privilege of the kindergarten, a broad-minded man or woman who sees the value of kindergartens for the children as a whole; a teacher, who understands kindergarten principles and sees the need of kindergarten training in the children who have come to her, proceed to awaken interest in the kindergarten and organize such a chapter. When the chapter is organized, send names of officers, roll of members and twenty-five cents dues for each member to Miss Helen Wesp. treasurer of Indiana State Kindergarten Association.

Where the interest is not sufficient to justify such an organization, individual kindergartners may become members by sending in names and dues.

WHAT MATERIAL DO WE NEED
TO OPEN A KINDERGARTEN?

Kindergartens are being opened in new localities each year, and there is always a question of the expense in

volved, and the material required. required. That this question may be answered for the school authorities, who probably have not trained kindergartners at hand to explain things, a list of the most necessary material, and an explanation of the purpose of each part, with suggestions for possible substitutes, is here given.

Taking it for granted that a light, well-heated, airy room has been obtained, the environment can be left to the kindergartner, who will make it as attractive as the conditions will permit.

The kindergarten furniture should include a chair for each child. The "Mosher" chairs seem to be the most satisfactory, and the majority of these should be of the twelve-inch size, as it is the unusual child under six years of age who is tall enough to need a higher chair. Tables should be firm, steady and light in weight. These may be made by a local carpenter or purchased from a supply house. If children are to sit on both sides, the tables should be at least thirty inches. in width. If the children are to be on one side only, eighteen inches is wide. enough. The length depends upon the conditions, but tables small enough so that the children can shift and place them without aid are the best. Calculate the number of tables needed by allowing thirty inches of space to each child. Children can, and do in many kindergartens, sit much closer together than this, but it is a condition always to be deplored. Cupboards or sets of shelves should be low and easy of access so that the children may unaided get out the material they need. However, higher shelves, or a cupa cup board with a door and lock, should be included, for there will be supplies which are not open to the children.

The material needed for the regular manual activities of the kindergarten, such as construction, picturing, desiguing, modeling, etc., should include:

1. Building blocks. The building The building blocks planned by Froebel, and listed under the name of Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Gifts, and a set of good floor blocks. The former include cubes, ob

longs, right angle isosceles, triangular prisms in two sizes made by cutting cubes in half on one diagonal for the large ones and on two diagonals for the small ones, square plinths made by cutting the oblongs through the center crosswise, and square columns made by cutting the oblongs through the center lengthwise. For the latter, those blocks known as the "Hill" floor blocks seem to give the most universal satisfaction. These include blocks and boards ranging in size from a board thirty-six inches long to a flat triangular block on the three-inch basis, and also grooved corner posts, steel pipes and wire rods for bracing purposes, wooden wheels and washers and metal cotterpins. All the above blocks can be purchased. The Froebelian blocks come in several sizes, the larger ones being preferred by most kindergartners. These blocks or blocks which will meet the same child needs may be made by a carpenter at less expense, but care must be taken to see that they are smoothly finished. These may be augmented by the large spools. used on the power sewing machines found in garment factories and by slender rods of several lengths to slip through the spools, thus holding a number of them together into a col

umn.

2. Material for experiment along the lines of form relationship, picturing and design as the various geometrical planes, sticks, rings and points. The planes may be purchased under the name of the Seventh Gift. The best ones are of light and dark wood and are made on the two-inch basis. These tablets may be made by cutting heavy heavy cardboard into the desired shapes. In purchasing the sticks and rings, see that the material is large enough to be easily handled.

3. The type forms-sphere cube and cylinder at least should form a part of the stock. These in a polished wooden box with twirling apparatus. which can be purchased under the name of the Second Gift. Be sure to include the perfect forms and the imperfect, i. e., those with holes and eyelets for twirling.

THE EDUCATOR-JOURNAL

is published the tenth of each month by the EDUCATOR-JOURNAL COMPANY 403-404 Newton Claypool Building, Indianapolis Bell Tel., Main 4081

EDITOR

L. N. Hines, Crawfordsville, Indiana.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

George L. Roberts, Head Department of Education Purdue University;

H. L. Smith, Dean School of Education. Indiana University;

William N. Otto, Shortridge High School, Indianapolis;

Frances M. Kelsey, Teachers College of Indianapolis.

MANAGING EDITOR

M P. Helm, Indianapolis, Indiana.

All business communications should be addressed to the Educator-Journal Company, 403-404 Newton Claypool Building, Indianapolis, Indiana.

TO SUBSCRIBERS

If you do not receive your Educator-Journal within a reasonable time after date of publication, make a request for another copy.

When ordering a change in your address. do not forget to give both your old and your new address. Change in address can not be made without this information.

The subscription price is $1.00 a year, payable in advance; when not paid in advance, the price is $1.25.

Notice will be given to each subscriber of the time his subscription expires, but no subscription will be discontinued except upon request sent direct to the office, accompanied by the full amount due at the time such request is made.

[blocks in formation]

Pennsylvania wins and Indiana loses in the going of Lee Driver of Randolph County to the Keystone state. Superintendent Driver has made a national reputation by his magnificent work with the schools of his county. Pennsylvania is delighted. to get him at a salary of five thousand dollars per year and all expenses paid. The largest salary he ever received in Indiana previous to a recent increase in his salary as county superintendent was fourteen hundred eight dollars and fifty cents. Indiana has no law and no funds for the purpose of using Lee Driver in a state-wide capacity in the state that produced him. Pennsylvania has both the law and the funds, and so Lee Driver leaves us. Our rural schools have lost a fearless and able champion. Our best wishes go with him.

The Indiana Child Welfare Committee should receive every encouragement from the school people of Indi

ana. The work of the committee is vital and of the greatest value to every school in the state.

Indiana University and the State Department of Education are co-oper ating in promoting a five-day conference on rural education to be held at the University July 12-16 next. Some of the best speakers on rural topics in the country will be invited to address the conference. It is hoped that the county superintendents can arrange to hold their summer meeting in Bloom

ington during that week, which ought to be a great one in the history of rural education in Indiana.

The attitude of trustees and other school officers attending the series of thirteen rural school conferences recently held in Indiana, toward the problems of the rural schools, was of the highest type. The spirit of cooperation was present everywhere-a spirit that promises much for the country boys and girls in Indiana.

The attendance in Indiana high schools is booming this term. The high schools in common with the colleges are seeing a most prosperous year.

The recent meeting of the State Teachers' Association was one of the notable ones in the history of Indiana. in point of enthusiasm, numbers and the general quality of the programs presented. The next sessions, under the leadership of Mrs. Olcott, give every promise of being up to the highest standards of the past.

Those county superintendents that are inaugurating campaigns for better rural schools are helping make their country communities better places in which to live.

"Let the next man do it" is a poor motto for a public official when confronted with a big task that needs. doing.

The teacher shortage is a real crisis. in the history of American schools. We must have plenty of well-paid and good teachers if we are to have good schools.

From Porto Rico comes the cry for teachers especially trained for rural work. Indiana joins Porto Rico in this cry.

The contract-jumping teacher received attention in the recent state

meeting of township trustees in Indianapolis. The contract-jumping teacher is exceedingly likely to receive further attention at the next regular session of the Legislature.

The vocabulary of the pupil can be gradually enlarged by the teacher, by a careful cultivation of an interest in and use of new words. A paucity of words is generally accompanied by a scarcity of ideas. The acquiring of new words should be a part of all school work.

« AnteriorContinuar »