Topics for October Nature-Study 



Anna Botsford Comstock 



The Mossy-cup Oak 



The Carolina Poplar 



The child becomes acquainted with the trees by mounting or tracing their leaves on cards in formal 

 designs. 



SECOND GRADE 



In October in the East we all study foliage. It is the month 

 when the beautiful colors of the leaves paint the landscape so. that 

 all who look may become artists involuntarily. Therefore, it is 

 just the time for the little ones to give closer attention to a few 

 beautiful leaves. Perhaps they have already in kindergarten and 

 first grade studied in mount or outline a maple leaf or an oak leaf. 

 Now they should be encouraged to bring in as many brilliant 

 colored leaves as they can find. 



Cocoons — Many insects have to solve a very grave problem 

 during their growth and that is how to protect themselves from 

 weather and animals during the pupa stage, which is a stage in its 

 development where the insect is quiescent and helpless. It no 

 longer has a mouth for eating or legs for escaping, nor has it yet 

 wings for flying. It is simply a little helpless live mummy in 

 which wonderful changes are taking place, such as the growth of 

 wings and the. change of form. The butterfly caterpillar does 

 nothing to protect itself at this crisis except to select some pro- 

 tected spot and suspend itself with silk where it will not be readily 

 seen ; but the caterpillar of a moth spins a protecting blanket of 

 silk within which it changes to a pupa. Thescfelankets are called 

 cocoons, and they are skillfully woven of silk which comes from an 



322 



