WINTER EARTH STUDY. 481 



Fog. Fogs or mists can often be observed in low, 

 marshy places, or over still water on the quiet mornings or 

 e v enings of spring or summer. Interest children in watch- 

 ing for them. What do these mists look like ? How do 

 they feel ? Are the things covered with mist damp or 

 dry ? Why ? Where do the fogs appear ? Why in 

 damp places ? Why in low places or valleys ? Why not 

 on hill-tops ? What happens to them as the sun rises 

 higher in the morning ? What change takes place as 

 the sun sets ? Why ? Are they most often seen on cold 

 or warm mornings or evenings ? Why ? On quiet or 

 windy days? Why? The writer has asked such ques- 

 tions frequently of second-year children, and found that 

 they had observed many such phenomena (when interested 

 in them by their study of water), and were not merely 

 eager to tell what they had seen, but able to tell clearly 

 the " whys." Many " book-learned " teachers could not 

 do as well. If teachers and children are so fortunate as 

 to have a foggy morning, drop other water study, and 

 make the most of the fog. Note particularly its damp- 

 ness, and try to observe how it rises or disappears as the 

 day gets warmer or the wind appears. It may be well 

 to tell about effects of fogs on sea-coasts and in London. 



For review, tell the story of " The Fog, the Sun, and the 

 Wind." Because of their rare occurrence in most places, 

 fogs are of minor importance as compared with clouds, and 

 have much less content. 



Clouds. Begin with observation of clouds, not mere talk 

 about clouds. Much can be seen from school windows, 

 more by taking children out for a field lesson, most by 

 interesting them in watching the clouds for several days 

 before any formal cloud study is attempted in school, and 

 guiding them by a few sinple, definite questions. Good 

 topics for such individual or class observations are : 



