22 SCHOOL COURSES. 



generally with this class some attention should be given to 

 the play of animals. 



Similar lessons should be given on common birds ; out- 

 door observations on the lines of recognition by plumage, 

 flight, song should be encouraged. The birds should be 

 fed in winter, when excellent opportunities for general 

 observation work are afforded. (General appreciation of 

 prominent functions of the birds parental care, nest 

 building, power of flight and general gracefulness of move- 

 ment, etc., should be encouraged. 



Collections of objects of natural beauty, such as shells, 

 butterflies, feathers, should be available ; if not the teacher 

 might by degrees with the help of the scholars build up 

 such a collection. The objects will be available for simple 

 lessons designed to develop the artistic sense-appreciations 

 of form and colour. The simpler objects can be drawn 

 and coloured, the more difficult, such as butterflies, can be 

 used for purposes of verbal colour description and for 

 lessons in recognition particularly of the commoner 

 examples. 



III. OBSERVATIONAL WEATHER STUDIES : 



For this grade these will be of a fairly simple character. 

 A daily opinion of the kind of weather should be got, say, 

 in the afternoon and a simple record kept by the teacher : 



Spring : Number of good days (fine, dry, warm), 



bad days (cold, wet), 



and so on for each season. Notwithstanding the fact that 

 a complete record for the year is not likely to be obtained 

 (owing to holidays, etc.), the teacher will not have much 

 difficulty in comparing seasons as to amount of heat in 

 each, and in associating the season of greatest heat with 

 greatest abundance of life. 



Pupils at this stage should be taught to recognise gener- 

 ally the direction of the wind, and to name the simpler 

 cloud forms. 



Fact grasped by the child : Dependence of plant life upon 

 the Sun. 



