at the door. We received $31.75 in the two days. The children were so pleased they didn't know what to do! We had quite a celebration on Oct. 8th. Some of the boys knew the "Fireman's Lift and Carry," from the Lone Scout and they did it and showed the others how. Then we had some good talks, and they wrote it up. We have quite a good program for Thanksgiving. They love the special days, and this month has so many! The people here bought extra land, you know, last year, to have as a Memorial Playground and we are reaping the benefits, these lovely October days. We have about ninety-five children everyday, and we have such good times!" “We had an exhibition in our own room (Grade II) last Friday. Everyone liked it. The insect collections the children have made attracted considerable attention. The boys did all the spreading and mounting when they were waiting for the slower members of the class to finish their arithmetic. A boy told a story I have been reading to them (they tell it each day after I read), we acted some reading lessons out of the Reader, had two folk dances and told about each row in school being an auto, the children are the parts of one auto and every mistake in reading, etc., is a puncture, accident, etc., and the car with fewest mishaps wins the race. They must be very quiet to show that their car is well oiled and doesn't rattle. It teaches cooperation and gives splendid results in evey way. They also passed their copy books out and held them up for the visitors to look at. We have it done very systematically by the children, one being the chief and giving all commands. The dismissal is also taken charge of by the pupils. The visitors were delighted at the way the sixty-two children of seven years or there abouts did things. We had their ordinary arithmetic books and writing scribblers displayed. A "Committee for Games," looks after all the pupils at recess, etc., and sees that they are playing, not fighting. It is wonderful the way young children take responsibility and are better for it." EDUCATIONAL METHODS. "In our schools the pupils may have been taught much about good citizenship, but what lasting effect can this have, when during their school life they are carefully watched as they march in regular lines to their rooms. Once inside, each child passes to his own seat to get his own lesson entirely by himself in his own way. He does this to get his own marks which he hopes will be higher than his neighbors'. Hardly could children be more effectively trained to have selfish interests or to seek individual gain. Whenever a pupil purposes to do a thing it becomes to him a project. It may be to build a chair, raise a calf, read a book, solve a problem, finger the violin or give a play. Any of these if carried thru by the child are educative projects.. They are educative in the degree that the child is interested in them and his interest is determined by the satisfyingness of the end to be attained. A skilful geography teacher realized that the pupils must set their own tasks if wholehearted effort was to follow. She asked: "What shall we do for to-mo row?" One pupil said: "I think we should have a 'product and industry' map of this part of the country." A committee was appointed to gather material, select the pictures and specimens, and draw the map. This map was used for review work in geography; and, besides yielding a high degree of scholarship, gave rich returns in civic training and initiative. A versatile teacher of hygiene gave the books to the class and directed them to find some special features in which they were interested and which they would like to learn more about. The result was the formation of groups of those who had similar interests. Some features were so frequently chosen that the whole class decided to study those. This class, among other things, tested the city water, examined the teeth of their classmates, stopped putting pencils in their mouths, and studied each others posture habits, all in a direct way with a view to improving present living conditions in the individuals concerned. In this way hygiene became a vital subject to this class. Every school system has one or more teachers who are willing to try out new methods. They can be of untold value to other teachers if they will work out projects in their grades, and invite their associate teachers to witness a lesson and counsel with them regarding ways of improving work. Demonstration seems to be the only way of teaching, for "seeing is believing."-Maybell G. Bush, in Educatnna News Bulletin. (To be handed on its receipt by the Secretary of the School Board to (To be sent in to the Inspector with the Returns in February and July.) This sheet is provided for the purpose of aiding teachers to interest their pupils in observing the times of the regular procession of natural phenomena each season. First, it may help the teacher in doing some of the "Nature" lesson work of the Course of Study; Secondly, it may aid in procuring valuable information for the locality and province. Two copies are provided for every teacher to conduct such observations, one to be preserved as the property of the section for reference from year to year; the other to be sent in with the Return to the Inspector who will transmit it to the Superintendent for examination and compilation. What is desired is to have recorded in these forms, the dates of the first leafing, flowering and fruiting of plants and trees; the first appearance in the locality of birds migrating north in spring or south in autumn, etc. While the objects specified here are given so as to enable comparison to be made between the different sections of the Province, it is very desirable that other local phenomena of a similar kind be recorded. Every locality has a flora, fauna, climate, etc. more or less distinctly its own; and the more common trees, shrubs, plants, crops, etc., are those which will be most valuable from a local point of view in comparing the characteristics of a series of seasons. Teachers will find it one of the most convenient means for the stimulation of pupils in observing all natural phenomena when going to and from the school, and some pupils radiate as far as two miles from the school room. The "nature study" under these conditions would thus be undertaken at the most convenient time, without encroaching on school hours; while on the other hand it will tend to break up the monotony of school travel, fill an idle or wearisome walk with interest, and be one of the most valuable forms of educational discipline. The eyes of a whole school daily passing over the school routes will let very little escape notice, especially if the first observer of each annually recurring phenomenon receives credit as the first observer of it for the year. The observations will be accurate, as the facts must be demonstrated by the most undoubted evidence, such as the bringing of the specimens to the school when possible. To all observers the following most important, most essential principle of recording, is emphasized: Better no date, no record, than a wrong one or a doubtful one. Sports out of season due to very local conditions not common to at least a small field, should not be recorded except parenthetically. The date to be recorded for the purposes of compilation with those of other localities should be the first of the many of its kind following immediately after it. For instance, a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis in a sheltered cranny by a southern window in January would not be an indication of the general climate, but of the peculiarly heated nook in which the chrysalis was sheltered; nor would a flower in a semiartificial, warm shelter, give the date required. When these sports out of season occur, they may also be recorded, but within a parenthesis to indicate the peculiarity of some of the conditions affecting their early appearence. These schedules should be sent in to the Inspector with the school returns in July and February, containing the observations made during the Spring (January to June) and the fall (July to December) respectively. The register has a page for a duplicate of such records. Remember to fill in carefully and distinctly the date, locality, and other blanks at the head of the schedule on the next page; for if either the date or the locality or the name of the responsible compiler should be omitted the whole paper is worthless and cannot be bound up for preservation in the volume of The Phenological Observations. By the aid of the table given at the top of pages 3 and 4, the date, such as the 24th of May for instance, can be readily and accurately converted into the annual date, "the 144th day of the year," by adding the day of the month given to the annual date of the last day of the preceding month (April in this case), thus 24+120=144 The annual date can be briefly recorded and it is the only kind of dating which can be conveniently averaged in phenological studies. When the compiler is quite certain that he or she can make the conversion without error, the day of the year instead of the day of the month will be preferred in the record PHENOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, CANADA. (1920 Schedule). (For the months January to June 19 ; or the months July to December, 19) Province.. Locality or School Section. County. District No. The estimated length and breadth of the locality within which the following Observations were made.. X. .miles. Estimated distance from the sea coast.. miles. Estimated altitude above sea level.... ...feet. Slope or general exposure of the region. General character of the soil and surface. .and if so name the main . . . . Or is it all substantially highlands? . . Any other peculiarity tending to affect vegetation?. The most central Post Office of the locality or region.. Name and Home Address of Teacher or other Compiler of the Observations responsible for their accuracy. Nova Scotia Phenochrons. (Wild Plants, etc.--Nomenclature as in "Spotton" or "Gray's Manual"). 1. Alder (Alnus incana), catkin shedding pollen. 2. Aspen (Populus tremuloides), shedding vollen. 3. Mayflower (Epigaea repens), flowering.. 4. Field Horsetail (Equisetum arvense), shedding spores. Bloot-root (Sanguinaria Canadensis,) flowering.. 5. 6. White Violet (Viola Blanda), flowering 7. Blue Violet (Viola palmata, cucullata), flowering. 8. Hepatica (H. triloba, etc.) flowering. 9. Red Maple (Acer rubrum), flower shedding pollen. 10. Strawberry (Fragaria Virginiana), flowering. 64 fruit ripe. 11. 66 fruit ripe.. 19. Wild Red Cherry (Prunus Pennsylvanica), flowering. 20. 21. 22. 25. fruit ripe Blueberry (Vaccinium Can. and Penn.), flowering 23. Tall Buttercup (Ranunculus acris), flowering. 26. PHENOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.-(Continued). Day of year corresponding to the last day of each month. Jan. 31 April 120 July 212 Oct. 304 [For Leap years increase each number above except that for January, by 1]. 28. Pigeon Berry (Cornus Canadensis). fruit ripe. 29. Star Flower (Trientalis Americana), flowering. 30. Clintonia (Clintonia borealis), flowering.. 31. Marsh Calla (Calla palustris), flowering.. 32. Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule), flowering. 33. Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium ang.), flowering. 34. Twinflower (Linnaea borealis), flowering. 35. Pale Laurel (Kalmia glauca), flowering. 36. Lambkill (Kalmia angustifolia), flowering. 37. English Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) flowering.. 43. 44. Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus Crista-galli), flowering. 50. Fall Dandelion (Leontodon autumnale). flowering, 51. Butter-and-Eggs (Linaria vulgris), flowering.. 52. Expanding leaves in spring make trees appear green (a) first tree, (b) leafing trees generally... 73. Opening of (a) Rivers, (b) Lakes without currents.. 76. Water in streams, rivers, etc. (a) highest (b) lowest. Day of year corresponding to the last day of each month.] 181 Sept. 273 [For Leap years increase each number above except that for! January, by 1). (Migration of Birds, etc.). 81. Wild Duck migrating.. 82. Wild Geese migrating.. 83. Song Sparrow (Melospiza fasciata) 84. American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 85. Slate colored Snow Bird (Junco hiemalis). 86. Spotted Sand Piper (Actitis macularia). 87. Meadow Lark (Sturnella magna). 88. Kingfisher (Ceryle Alcyon). 89. Yellow Crowned Warbler (Dendroeca coronata) 91. White Throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia alba) 100. Appearance of Snakes. (Other Observations or Remarks.) 101. Senecio Jacobaea (St. James Ragwort, cattle-kill); Is it found within the school sections; If so, to what extent? etc. 102. The Brown Tail Moth? etc. |