io8o Rural School Leaflet. 



a definite starting place. If teachers will think seriously of this they 

 will make effort to help the pupils in their school to a real live interest 

 in out-of-door subjects. A few suggestions follow. 



A day in the woods. — How many teachers had an opportunity in 

 their school days to go into the woods with their classmates and teacher 

 on a warm afternoon instead of working in the school house? Persons 

 who have had this experience will remember it always. In every school 

 district the trustee or superintendent will doubtless give permission 

 to the teacher to go out of doors with her class one day or one afternoon 

 in the month of May or June. During this day the teacher might 

 make suggestions for the children during the summer. They should 

 learn to recognize the trees, the flowers, and the insect life about them, 

 to watch the sunshine and shadow, to listen to the sounds that one hears 

 in an apparently silent place. The effort put forth by a teacher to 

 spend a real out-of-door day with her pupils will be worth the while, — • 

 worth the while in the lives of the children and in her own life. Such 

 a day is not an easy one for the teacher but the result of each hour 

 spent will count for all time. 



Gardens. — If the teacher has not made an effort to encourage the 

 children in gardening she should do so now. It is not too late. It 

 takes but little effort to plant a few seeds and the beginning will be 

 made. Next year the children will be able to do more, they will care 

 to do more. Mr. Jones has suggested having a School Fair. This 

 need not be a very extended piece of work. Tell the children to grow 

 something for this Fair. If but one cucumber is produced, that 

 cucumber may be more interesting than any other cucumber grown. 

 Let the children talk over with you some one thing that they will try 

 to get ready for this School Fair. The teacher will be giving funda- 

 mental training in getting children started to accomplish a definite piece 

 of work. In this Leaflet there are suggestions for the growing of corn 

 and potatoes and in the previous Leaflets are suggestions for growing 

 other crops. 



Play at school. — The matter of directing play is growing in importance 

 all the time. There should be a strong movement in New York State 

 among the educational directors to -establish some good wholesome 

 forms of play in all school districts, large or small. Every person who 

 has enjoyed a game in his lifetime and every teacher who has watched 

 the children at play can be useful in this matter of organizing and develop- 

 ing certain games that will be wholesome and give pleasure to young 

 persons. We wish that every teacher in New York State would suggest 

 some games that might be taught for the benefit of children in rural 



