20 



CITY LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 



Work with the Schools. 



Teacher^s Meetings announced through the office of the Superintend- 

 ent of Schools have been called at the Museum by Supervisors approxi- 

 mately each month of the school year. At these meetings Nature work 

 to be done at the Museum was outlined. 1263 pupils in classes with 

 teachers have received instruction at the Museum in accordance with 

 such outlines, and approximately as many more without teachers have 

 voluntarily come with questions about lessons assigned. 



Continuation School. Reference has been made to the possibilities for 

 museum service to the Continuation Schools. These possibilities have 

 become more apparent through experiences of the year. During a twenty 

 days, period 656 pupils received instruction relating to business practice, 

 to which natural history collections lend themselves remarkably. The 

 program for the coming year as already outlined indicates the value of 

 the Museum's illustrative material. Brief talks on what the Musuem 

 stands for opens the program, next are fundamental lessons on what con- 

 stitutes the three kingdoms of minerals, plants and animals. Then in 

 order these as the source of materials handled in connection with the 

 work of the pupils are considered. A lesson may be Minerals to Kitchen 

 Utensils, Plants to Cereals or Animals to Silk. Under the subject Min- 

 erals to Kitchen Utensils there are shown, and processes of manufacture 

 explained, aluminum ware with aluminium and clays; enamel ware and 

 its constituent minerals — iron, feldspar, borax, sihca or sand; and the 

 powdered granite which added to the enamel 'mixture produces so 

 called granite ware. Of course the native state of the mineral is always 

 emphasized. Glass-making minerals are shown with glass ware, the 

 zinc-producing ores are displayed in connection with galvanized iron 

 pails, rubbish cans, etc., and of course various iron ores and coppers 

 are examined with iron and copper utensils. 



A geography lesson comes in by tracing on maps the country or sec- 

 tion from which these minerals are obtained, and local or other indus- 

 tries are always connected up with a subject where there is such a pos- 

 sibihty. Merchants are gladly lending finished products for these lessons 

 and sessions are occasionally attended by heads of departments. These 

 are but outlines of ways in which the Museum can reach our youthful 

 business people. It is a more inteUigent clerk who goes back to her 

 kitchen-ware counter after such a lesson, and the Museum has no more 

 interested or responsive pupils than those who come for their continua- 

 tion school work. 



Work with Younger Children. 



While carrying on this work for adults and older boys and girls there 

 has been running alongside the children's program of story telUng, edu- 

 cational games, prize contests and examinations. More and more chil- 

 dren are coming to look upon the Museum as their place to spend Sat- 

 urdays and much after-school time. This opportunity to get hold of many 

 who know not home training is by no means neglected and it is the 

 rare boy who does not respond to a sharing of his interest in snakes, 

 toads, the many forms of life he finds in the swimming hole or his gems 

 from the sand bank. 



