416 NATURE STUDY. 



twig, with all but two or three bundles of needles removed, 

 before each row of pupils, arranged in position easiest for 

 drawing, that is, with needles not pointing toward or away 

 from children. 



Adaptation. Sprinkle snow, or salt, or pieces of paper or 

 of chalk, on child's fingers, pressed together. Eepeat, with 

 fingers widely separated. How much more easily the little 

 pieces drop down between the fingers ! Why does the win- 

 ter tree have leaves like needles, separated or with spaces 

 be een, rather than like the leaves we have in summer- 

 time, when there is no snow ? Have children blow on a 

 piece of paper, noting how it " catches the wind," and bends. 

 Cut into strips, with considerable space between. How 

 much more easily the wind passes through! Why do the 

 broad-leaved trees drop their leaves as the winds of winter 

 come? Why does our pine have needle-like leaves? Get 

 children to tell how they bundle up in winter, and have 

 them show how much larger they look with coat and over- 

 coat than in the thinner clothes they wear in summer or in 

 the warm schoolroom. Why are the pine needles so much 

 thicker and tougher than many summer leaves? Yes, the 

 Pine Mother has dressed her leaves warmly. We will see 

 how careful she is about her children when we study her 

 seed-babies. 



Literature. Read or, better, tell the story of the " Dis- 

 contented Fir-tree," from Hans Andersen, substituting 

 " pine-tree " for " fir-tree." 



The children like this little conceit : 



'* If Mother Nature patches the leaves of trees and vines, 

 I'm sure she does her darning with the needles of the pines, 

 They are so long and slender, and somewhere in full view, 

 She has her threads of cobweb and a thimble made of dew." 



Other literature which may be used with older chil 

 dren : 



