Teacher's Leaflet. 



745 



THE BROOK. 



There are few country 



or village schoolhouses in 



New York State that are 



not within reach of that 



most fascinating bit of ge- 

 ography for the child, — a 



brook ; and yet how few of 



the children who habitually 



play in the brook, wading, 



making dams, catching fish 



or pollywogs, drawing out 



the crayfish by his own 



grip from his lurking place 



under a log, — ever dream 



that they are dealing with 



real geography. And a ge- 

 ography lesson on the 



brook should not be for the 



purpose of making work 



out of play, but to serve 



to render the brook a 



source of greater interest 



and enjoyment, and at the 



same time impress the pupil with some fundamental facts of physical 



geography, so that ever after he shall know and understand all streams, 

 whether they be brooks or rivers. 



A good time to study a brook is after a rain and October 

 is an interesting time for beginning its study ; the work should be con- 

 tinued during the entire year and may be done at noon or recess if the 

 brook is at hand ; or there may be excursions after school if the source 

 of the brook is some distance away. The work may be done by a class 

 or the whole school if it is not too large, or it may be done by the pupils 

 individually. 



Photo by Verne Morton. 

 " Little Brook, Sing to Me.'' 



Lesson IV. 



HOW A BROOK LOOKS. 



Purpose. — To study carefully the general features of the brook. 

 Observations. — (i). How and where does the brook begin? Is its 



