258 NATURE STUDY 



and is very slippery and shiny. Little pieces of mica 

 are very silvery. Mica, I know, is soft, for I can scratch 

 it with my finger-nail. We all can see through mica 

 when it is thin enough. 



Third Year 



After numerous excursions to study the trees in the 

 neighborhood, the children drew a plan of the plot of 

 ground opposite the school, representing the trees by 

 small circles. These plans they took out with them, and 

 entirely independently of each other and of me, marked 

 the initial of the tree below the circle which represented 

 it. 



Subsequently they were given the various leaves, of 

 which they made drawings, as a key to the plan. No 

 child in any class made a single mistake in identifying 

 the leaves. 



Margaret Graham, Tliird Year. 



Language — Catalpa 



The catalpa grows sometimes a very large tree. It has 

 smooth bark, and it is pretty thick around the bottom. 

 As it goes up it gets thinner. The branches of the catalpa 

 are very large and spread out, but there are not very 

 many. The shape of the leaf is heart shape. The veins 

 are alternate. The edge of the catalpa is very smooth. 

 The leaf is very large. 



Fourth Year 



The drawings below Avere made from material grown 

 by the teacher, after the children had grown and studied 

 all stages of the wheat, pea, and squash. 



