I070 



Rural School Leap let. 



HORSES 



HORSE is one of the best subjects for the study of 

 animal Hfe. Children can get knowledge of horses at 

 first hand in both city and country. The ideal begin- 

 ning of this study would be to have a horse in the school- 

 yard or in front of the schoolhouse and have the teacher or 

 some farmer in the neighborhood give a live lesson demon- 

 strating facts as the lesson progresses. A lesson given in 

 one school was most interesting from the fact that different types of 

 horses in the community were lined up in front of the schoolhouse 

 while the discussion of horses took place. This would not be impos- 

 sible in many schools. 



Added interest might be obtained in giving this series of lessons on 

 horses by the use of stories connected with horses; discussion of the 

 training of fire horses; intelligence shown by horses under many dif- 

 ferent conditions, and the like. The humane treatment of horses should 

 also be considered. 



Before any of the facts in the following lessons are taken up for the 

 schoolroom it would be well to get the children to make some observa- 

 tions for themselves. The following list of questions might be placed 

 on the blackboard and the children encouraged to try to find out answers 

 to the questions. Ask them to make personal observations and in 

 order to answer some of the questions to consult men in their community 

 who have worked with horses. The questions given in the lesson are 

 not more essential than others if the teacher would prefer to make out 

 some other list. All questions for nature-study lessons should be 

 such, however, that the children will be interested to find out the answers 

 by watching the horses if possible. 



Questions 



1. Where is the horse's knee joint? Which way does the knee bend? 



2. Where is its hock joint? Which way does it bend? 



3. Can a horse sleep when standing? 



4. How are the legs placed when a horse lies down? 



5. How does a horse get up — front legs first or hind legs first? How 

 does a cow get up? 



6. When a horse starts, after standing, what foot does he put 

 forward first — the left or the right? Fore or back? What foot moves 

 next? 



