922 Rural School Leaflet. 



As the children read the lesson in the Leaflet, they will learn many- 

 things: The fact that the light sometimes attracts birds; the description 

 of the little junco; that it is a seed eating bird; that it travels by night 

 because of its enemies, hawks and the like; that when the night is not 

 clear birds fly low; that the junco nests in Canadian woods. They will 

 learn the time of residence of the junco in our state; the haunts of the 

 bird; something of its song and habits. Fifteen minutes of real interest- 

 ing talk on this lesson will, I think, lead the children to look for a junco 

 and to recognize it when they see it. Call attention to the illustration. 

 It was made from a drawing by Mr. Louis Agassiz Fuertes. The children 

 can be taught to see the merits of this piece of artistic work. Let them 

 compare it with drawings of birds that they may, perhaps, find in books 

 in the library. Young children can be taught to see the difference 

 between good and poor pictures. 



Scenery. — At least once each month we wish the children might go 

 to the windows of the schoolroom or out into the school yard, to make 

 some observations on a scene or natural object that lies before them. 

 Looking at the landscape and getting joy from it is often a matter of 

 habit. While on your way to school, you may observe something by 

 the wayside that attracts you. Let the children share with you this 

 pleasure, if pleasure it be. Sometimes you may be able to speak of 

 some unsightly thing that detracts from the beauty of an outdoor scene. 

 Let the children know how you feel about this. It may influence them 

 later in saving others from being obliged to look at something that mars 

 the landscape. The first steps in learning to enjoy the beautiful, may 

 be given in a few minutes, but the lesson may influence the pupil through 

 all the coming years. Winter scenery is always a joy, so many things 

 are increased in beauty by the whiteness of the snow and the shadows. 

 See page 75. 



Stars. — Next month there will be a lesson on stars. In preparation 

 for this it will be well for the teacher to have a brief language lesson 

 about the stars in order to learn what the children already know about 

 them. Winter nights give much inspiration to look up into the sky and 

 young persons are always interested in stars at Christmas time. Before 

 the children leave school some night, ask them to look out of the 

 window after supper and be able to tell you the next morning, some- 

 thing that they can remember about the night sky. Suggest to them 

 how bright and sparkling the stars appear through the leafless branches 

 of the trees. 



