CHILDREN OF MY TRAIL SCHOOL 169 



determining what is next to be seen. In the course 

 of a month we use telescope, microscope, botanies, 

 bird and animal books, and frequently call in 

 the use of multiplication and percentage. The 

 children have many irons in the fire. Only one is 

 hot at a time; but how it is then hammered! 



Any one who goes with the children is considered 

 by them a welcome outsider or a privileged guest, 

 honoured and consulted, but ever under their 

 orders. However, that they should not come to 

 depend on an older person accompanying them, 

 I sometimes leave them as we start homeward. 

 Sometimes they vote to return home under the 

 orders of one of the children as leader. But several 

 often go off together, or by twos, or even one alone. 



Each child is encouraged to report anything of 

 unusual interest. If a discovery is made — a crippled 

 animal or a rare flower — he is to return at once and 

 tell others about it. Sometimes scouts are sent 

 out to look for young beavers, bear signs, or to see 

 whether the first blue fringed gentians have 

 bloomed. 



There is a bulletin board in the nature room on 

 which appear notices of future excursions, of discov- 

 eries, of special meetings, of exhibitions, of flowers, 

 rocks, and other things wanted for these exhibitions, 

 and recent outdoor photographs. When the chil- 

 dren are not in the field a conference may be called 

 at any time. 



It was a stay-at-home day the morning a boy 



