Report of the Executive Committee 67 



Mersey just at its entry into the town of Stockport. Two other blocks 

 illustrated the same river at the foot of the terrace at Vernon Park, 

 Stockport, showing what will happen unless artificial means be taken to 

 prevent the river forming a cut-off spur. The model and sketch of 

 Stockport, also the photographs, illustrate the same feature. Two 

 models, one with movable pieces, illustrate how a fault may be pro- 

 duced, and, having visited several faults in the district, these are of 

 great value. A geological model of Kettleshulme valley, showing 

 several faults, was made by the boys from the contour map, and 

 coloured geologically. 



"Almost every quarry in the district has been visited, and several 

 coal-mines, and we collected specimens of the rocks and as many fossils 

 as we could find. These visits to river terraces — where the boys found 

 trees black with age and water, also hazel nuts at a considerable depth 

 below the surface — and visits to quarries and mines were made the sub- 

 jects of many interesting lessons both in the open air and also in the 

 school-room. We have subjects to carry us on well into the winter 

 months when rambles are impossible. The bringing in of a stone 

 picked up in the street is almost of daily occurrence, with the usual 

 question, 'Please, sir, is this so-and-so?' Very frequently these stones 

 become the subject of a quiet little chat for a few minutes, and also as 

 a subject for composition in the form of an essay." 



The Nature -Study teaching at Utley Board School, 

 Keighley, might have been divided up and considered 

 under several headings. It has been thought best to allude 

 to it here, in its entirety, as follows: — 



' ' The ' school rambles ' or ' nature walks ' are carried out in the 

 following way: — Each scholar has a note-book with previously-entered 

 headings, such as Date, Time of Day, Weather, Wind, Trees, Plants, 

 Flowers, Animals, Birds, Insects, General Remarks, &c. The blank 

 lines under each are filled up in pencil as we go along. Anything 

 unusual is brought up to the head teacher for identification, and carried 

 back in one of the tin boxes suppUed to the children. These rough 

 notes are amplified in the composition lesson, when a fiill account of the 

 expedition is written. 



'■^ Oral work. — Short halts are made at places of interest, and the 

 teacher has a talk with the children. In school, too, a child is brought 

 out in front of the class and questioned on the walk (or the teaching) 

 by his fellows, and the one who succeeds in asking a question he cannot 

 answer takes his place. Marks are given to the one who survives most 



