SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

I. Exercises that involve the recognition of number.

1. Sorting and arranging objects according to definite directions.

a. Stringing wooden beads; for example, one red bead and two white beads or two red beads and three white beads, etc.

b. Making borders of parquetry papers; for example, two circles and one square repeated a given number of times.

c. Laying sticks by twos, threes, etc., to form borders. d. Placing colored pegs in a peg board according to a given plan.

etc.

2. Weaving mats over one, under two, over three,

3. Distributing material by permitting pupils to select from a box three splints or four cubes, or one mat and five strips, etc.

4. Games:

a. Play "Soldier Boy" until six pupils have been chosen or until eight flags have been distributed.

Soldier Boy. The children form in a ring. One child in the center carries several flags over his shoulder and marches around while all the children sing "Soldier Boy, Soldier Boy." At the words, "If you'll be a soldier boy," the child who is marching halts in front of the straightest soldier in the circle, salutes, and presents him with a flag. The child who receives the flag follows the leader and marches in the circle. This is repeated until a number of children have been chosen.

b. In "The Lame Fox" tell the number of chickens that were caught.

The

Lame Fox and Chickens. One player, who is chosen for the fox, stands in a den marked off at one end of the room. The rest are chickens and have a chicken yard at the other end of the room. The chickens advance to the den of the fox and tease him by calling out, "Lame Fox! Lame Fox! Can't catch anybody!" lame fox may take only three steps beyond his den, after which he must hop on one foot trying to catch the chickens while hopping. The chickens caught are taken to the den and become foxes. They then hop on one foot and help to catch the other chickens. The last chicken caught becomes the lame fox for the next game.

5. Dramatization.

Decide as to the number and

select the number of pupils needed to dramatize:

a. The Little Red Hen.3

b. Chicken Little.3

c. The Old Woman and her Pig.3

1 See Children's Singing Games by M. R. Hofer (A. Flanagan Company).

2 See Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium by Jessie

H. Bancroft (The Macmillan Company).

3 See For the Children's Hour by Bailey and Lewis (Milton Bradley Co.)

6. Nature Study.

a. Identifying trees in the neighborhood whose leaves have one part or more than one part. For example, in the peach tree, the horse-chestnut tree, the maple tree, note the number of parts to the leaf or the number of lobes caused by the indentations.

b. Study of fruit, noting the number of seed cases in the apple, the peach, and the bean.

c. Studies in germination, noting the number of peas or beans planted, the number of shoots that come up in each case, and the number of leaves that appear.

d. Study of twigs, noting the number of buds on the twig, whether arranged by ones or by twos, the number of buds that have opened, the number of leaves folded within the buds.

'e. Recognition of flowers by noting color and parts. For example, the buttercup has only one color. The pansy usually has three colors. Each has five parts.

f. Gardening. Note the number of beds of lettuce plants set out, the number of plants in each bed, the number of rows of radishes sown, the number of bunches gathered, the number of pupils who cared for each bed.

II. Exercises that involve the use of ordinals.

1. For convenience in giving directions in the classroom, files may be named first file, second file, etc.

2. Pages in the reader may sometimes be designated as first page, fifth page, etc.

3. Reference in nature study to the order of events; as the bud that opened first or the bean that was the first to sprout.

4. Reference to the days of the week as the first day, the second day, etc.

5. Reference to the days of the month as the fifth day, the seventh day, etc.

III. Exercises that involve counting.

1. Counting by ones, twos, fives, or tens the number of beads strung, the number of sticks or cubes or circles in a certain border made.

2. Counting by ones and by twos the number of pupils marching.

3. Counting the number of trees of a certain kind in the neighborhood.

4. Counting the number of houses in a particular block. 5. Counting the pupils in the class or in some particular file.

6. Counting material, books, pencils, etc., distributed and collected.

7. Counting and tying in bunches garden products; for example, radishes and carrots grown in the school garden. Counting the bunches.

IV. Exercises that involve the use of one half, one third, and one fourth.

Cutting and folding of paper or cardboard.

a. Making calendars, picture frames, boxes, and baskets for Christmas or Easter.