CHILDREN OF MY TRAIL SCHOOL 175 



Of an evening I listen willingly to their ideas 

 and comments, and to their experiences. I en- 

 deavour to make comments that will cause the child 

 to desire to go back and look again at the wonder 

 things he has seen and at others which he appar- 

 ently missed. I do all I can to stimulate his 

 creative faculty. I ever try to answer his ques- 

 tions in a way that will add to his interest and, if 

 possible, multiply or extend this interest. 



If a child's lesser questions are answered he will 

 presently come back with greater ones. Surely, 

 the opportunity of one's life is to listen helpfully 

 when the child is talking and to answer happily his 

 eager questions! 



The experiences these children have and their 

 reflections concerning the things seen give them 

 the ability to reason, and develop their observation 

 and imagination. With these powers working, 

 there is nothing that can obstruct a child's way to 

 an education. He wants to learn and will find a 

 way. 



Sometimes in telling their experiences the children 

 let themselves go and use their imagination freely. 

 This is excellent. It is a healthy imagination; 

 they simply expand, extend, or create the probable 

 continuation of facts they have seen. There is 

 nothing magical, nothing illogical, no monstros- 

 ity — just poetical interpretation of facts. But 

 when asked for the facts about what they have 

 seen they give them accurately — the colour, size, 



