There are general duties, too, that different ones may take. For instance, as soon as they understand why you make a particular arrangement of curtains or shades at one time, changing this at another to give the light required, pass this duty to a child to perform regularly, unobtrusively and intelligently. Let another look after the ventilation. Show them what you mean by a perfectly clean blackboard-one fit for their room; then require them to keep it so. Punctilious care in the execution of all the duties assigned shows them the good they may do. Every accident that mars or disfigures any part of the room should be immediately made good.

If in opening several days are needed to set things a-going after this fashion without fret, without friction, time will not be lost and Kindergartners will have done much to start ways of self-reliance and self-help.

A WEEK'S WORK.

[Miss Warner's contribution is an excellent suggestion for interchange of work on the part of Kindergartners, and we would commend her remark as to mutual help and invite like papers from other workers.-ED.]

The week's work in my Kindergarten has been so delightful both to children and teacher, that I have wished that every Kindergartner could have enjoyed it with us. This being impossible the next best thing is to tell them about it. It cannot fail to interest and may, I hope, help some teacher in the preparation of like work, and in this mutual help we should all be willing to "lend a hand."

The subject for the week was the cow, and when the children came on Monday morning, the first thing that greeted their eyes, was a large picture of a cow drawn upon the board. They were delighted and made her acquaintance speedily giving her the name of "Bessie."

Our morning talk was about cows. Even the babies knew that the cow "gives us milk," and the older ones knew for what the hide is used, and before the week was out they had thought of a long list of articles made of leather; whip handles, satchels, shoes, harness, covering for chairs, card cases, purses, etc.

At the tables, the first morning, the lesson was with sticks, with which the children made a barn, each child having a cardboard cow. As the cardboard was gray, of course, all the cows were Jersey! They were not allowed to go into that part of the barn reserved for the horses and carriages, but were kept in the cow sheds exclusively !

The next day with the Third and Fourth Gifts we made a stable. The Jersey was placed within and each child was given a little three-legged stool of cardboard and a cardboard pail covered with tinfoil. We talked about milk and what is made from it.

This day's work prepared the children for the Dairy work, the following day, the most delightful day of the week.

In this small Southern California town there is no such thing as a toy store, such as one finds in a city, into which one can go, and at very little expense procure little articles that add so much to the children's interest in work like this. It is an excellent place for the developing of the Kindergartner's inventive faculty. We were to have a Dairy. I wanted pans. Real tin ones were out of the question, but cardboard was plenty and my inventive powers were, happily, equal to the emergency. I cut a round piece for the bottom of the pan, about the size of a nickel, and another cylindrical piece for the sides, and with fine thread and needle sewed the two together. After this was done, I covered it with tinfoil, and after half a day's work, had my row of shining milk pans complete-two for each child. A churn I made of cardboard, and pasted a strip of paper on the back, leaving an opening just large enough into which to slip a strip of cardboard for the dasher, that, in this way, "really worked" up and down.

After our talk in the morning the children went to their seats and with the Fourth Gift made two little tables. A few moments later the dairies were ready, and I wish you all could have visited them. You would have seen upon one table two milk pans full of real milk; on the other rolls of butter, (the yellow cylinders for stringing) which the children had wrapped in tissue paper for butter cloth-at the same time learning how many pounds were in a roll, and telling me as

they finished their calculation that they had four pounds in their two rolls. The churns were being worked vigorously by the happy little dairy women and men; the Jersey cow was out in the field beyond, and the stool and pail stood ready for use. It was all delightfully "real" to the children and enjoyable and gratifying to me.

In the occupations they sewed a cow, and pricked the outlines of the churn, stool and pail.

In addition to the cow and calf, I drew upon the board, the barn, the stable, churn, stool, pail, shoes (the mamma's and the baby's) whips, satchels, etc., and the children drew on their slates, some of these. The calf was named by the children "Daisy," and I am not sure but that it and the cow will remain on the board for the rest of the term, as the children seem to be so fond of them and unwilling to have them erased.

The babies, of course, did not do as much as the older ones, but they had the cardboard cows; worked the "really" dasher in the churns; had real milk in the little pans, and all of them, older ones and babies, had a drink of real milk "all around."

As the Kindergarten is connected with the public school, I had access to the charts used in the other departments, and they added greatly to the value of the lessons. On the ones we used were pictures of the cow and calf, pieces of different kinds of leather, pieces of glue, buttons, combs, etc., and the children thus saw for themselves the articles made from the hide, horns and hoofs of the animal.

So much for my week's work--I know how discouraging it is to work up a subject when cramped for material, but much may be done to supply the need if we are willing to put a little extra thought upon inventing for ourselves, and the satisfaction gained from successfully carrying out a week's program, fully repays one for all thought and time expended.

I am anxious to see more of this subject work going on in the Kindergartens. The work oftentimes is too "scrappy"; too unfinished; there is too much smattering of many things; too little thoroughness in any one thing.

Let us give the helping hand to one another in this regard. We need each other's thought, each other's work. Let us give it, however small it may seem to us. Lend a hand. Our own enthusiasm will grow and many a Kindergartner be helped and encouraged.-Anna Warner, Banning, San Bernardino County, Cal.

THE CHESTNUT BURR.

A wee little nut lay deep in its nest,
Of satin and down, the softest and best;
And slept and grew, while its cradle rocked,
As it hung in the boughs that interlocked.

Now the house was small where the cradle lay,
As it swung in the winds by night and day;
For a thicket of underbrush fenced it round,
This little lone cot by the great sun browned.

The little nut grew, and ere long it found
There was work outside on the soft green ground,
It must do its part, so the world might know,
It has tried, one littie seed to sow.

And soon the house that had kept it warm
Was tossed about by the autumn storm ;
The stem was cracked, the old house fell,
And the chestnut burr was an empty shell.

But the little seed as it waiting lay,
Dreamed a wonderful dream day by day,
Of how it should break it coat of brown
And live as a tree, to grow up and down.

-Adapted.

CHILD-CULTURE STUDY-CIRCLE.

THE BRONSON ALCOTT FAMILY

are a happy argument in favor of home education. In the Life and Letters of Louisa M. Alcott we read of the homely family life which environed herself and sisters. There was poverty, meagre opportunity, and stern duty in their daily course, but behind this stood a father with high ideals and a mother with long forbearance. The education of the children consisted largely in what they absorbed from their parents, who took time to talk, think and live according to their highest ideals. The father considered it an important part of education to learn to think on paper, to express sweet thoughts in writing. In order to make this practical in the home school, it was made a rule that each member of the family keep a daily journal, these to be subject to family perusal and criticism. Furthermore when the good mother wished to express her commendation or criticism of the children, she often wrote it in the form of a personal note and received her answer in the same way. The children exchanged poems at an early date and so generated that admirable power of putting into good form their choicest thoughts. Is there not a broad illustration here of the truth that ideals are greater educators than facts? The Alcott children were fond of playing school in the barn, and acting out their selfwritten plays. They were taught all practical values through hard work and simple pleasures, and so developed an honest and sturdy appreciation of all things.

SEWING MACHINE RHYME.

(To tune "Mill Wheel.")

The wheel goes round and round;
The wheel goes round and round.
It moves the needle sharp and bright,