7. Use and repair of electrical devices.

8. Causes, danger, and prevention of short circuits.

9. Use and storage of inflammable materials.

10. Function and mechanics of fire alarm and fire extinguisher.

11. Methods of extinguishing fires.

12. Care of household plumbing in winter.

13. Construction and function of household water system: Water meter, traps in drainage, connection with city systems.

F. Practical knowledge that leads to wise selection and satisfactory use of commercial products:

1. General repair of household appliances.

2. Care, use, quality, and endurance of tools.

3. Choice of cloth: Kinds; characteristics; limitations; values; tests for wool, cotton, and silk; tests for permanence of prints and dyes.

4. Use and limitations of cleaning agents, home-made and commercial.

5. Use of foods: Kinds; values; preservation; refrigeration.

6. Care of heating systems: Kinds; characteristics; advantages; disadvantages. 7. Mechanics of pumps.

G. Construction of simple equipment and use of common products that will widen the child's range of interest, contribute to better understanding, or lead to wise selection and use of commercial products:

1. Thermometer.

2. Respirator.

3. Medicine dropper.

4. Water magnifying glass.

5. Strong alkaline soap and neutral soap.

6. Dyes, bleaches, stain removers.

7. Common home remedies.

8. Window ventilators.

9. Outdoor window boxes.

10. Thermos container.

H. Experiences which contribute to desirable use of leisure time:

1. Visiting museums and exhibitions of scientific interest.

2. Making mechanical household appliances and toys.

3. Collecting, mounting, and labeling specimens of trees, flowers, rocks.

4. Raising animals, birds, fish.

5. Gardening, making weather vanes, sun dials, bird baths, and bird houses.

Summary

1. Experiences in science must be simply and objectively interpreted if they are to be of any value to mentally retarded children. Only those

experiences should be presented to them which can be interpreted in terms of the daily living of the pupils.

2. Such experiences should contribute to the development of habits of more careful observation, to the extension of wholesome interest in the physical environment and thoughtful care of living things, and to the ability to make practical application of simple scientific facts to everyday living in the interests of health, safety, economy, and enjoyment of leisure time.

3. Experiences in science may be taken from nature study, biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and other branches of science which offer material of value and interest.

4. The discussion of abstract principles should be avoided, but activities illustrating the operation of principles should be numerous.

5. The activities in science should not be considered as isolated "science lessons," but should constitute a logical part of the total unit of experience that is under way.

Experiences in the Arts

EXPERIENCES in the various fields of art, including both

so-called fine and practical arts, have an important place in the school curriculum for retarded children. Music, dancing, dramatization, poetry; various types of play activity; drawing, painting, stenciling, modeling; household arts; pottery, metal work, leather tooling, and other handicrafts all stand side by side in offering abundant opportunity for both appreciation and creative expression. Interest and ability in these fields are among the strongest assets which retarded children possess. They constitute an emotional stabilizer, at the same time offering great possibilities for enriching the lives of the pupils. It is not to be expected that the children will ever become exceedingly adept in their performance, but they will secure emotional satisfaction and in some cases will make creditable progress, thus becoming socially more acceptable in a normal group.

In planning activities in the arts for the classroom, the teacher should keep constantly in mind (1) the social characteristics of various age and ability levels and (2) the need for differentiating the curriculum according to these age and ability levels. To secure the greatest value from the activities, the teacher should see to it that the work of the pupils is spontaneous, satisfying, and a part of the experience unit under way in the classroom.

Music

The value of music in varied forms can scarcely be overestimated, Through it may come the release of pent-up emotions, the development of an innate ability on the part of some, and the sheer joy of singing, playing, or listening on the part of all. Music is a means of expression of which no one is utterly deprived, and it should be used to make the retarded child happy through appreciation and participation.

Most mentally retarded children enjoy singing, even though some may be limited to humming a tune. The child's ability in this field usually excels his academic accomplishments. Sometimes it seems best to teach songs by the rote method, no attempt being made to teach the words correctly until the melody is familiar. At other times it is quite feasible to teach words and music together, and some groups do fairly well even in simple part singing. Accompaniment by the piano or by a band of the pupils' own membership adds to the zest of the activity.

Harmonica bands, toy orchestras, and other instrumental means have been used to develop in the children the joy of creating music and rhythm, as well as to accompany the class in singing. Wind instruments can be played by some children who are intellectually quite deficient. Music is one of the fields which seems not to show a high degree of correlation with academic intelligence. Some outstanding results have been achieved by teachers who themselves were musically inclined and knew how to secure musical expression from their pupils.

The phonograph and the radio are both valuable as means of assistance and inspiration in the development of musical appreciation and also as means of furnishing accompaniments. Good music is so frequently given . over the radio that a teacher who is fortunate enough to have access to an instrument for the use of his class can employ it to good advantage. While phonographs are probably still more commonly found in schoolrooms, radios are appearing in increasing number.

Correlation with experiences of the day is desirable here, as in all cther fields of art. A period set apart for music without relation to anything else may be fun while it is going on. But if it is tied up with an experience unit through the selection of songs and music that are related to the content of the unit, the message will carry over far more effectively into the life of the child.

Play Activity

Play in its highest form is truly an art. It combines rhythm, coordination, and skill, and holds the possibilities of joyous creative expression. No teacher of retarded children should permit himself to think of playtime merely as an opportunity of relief for himself and a means of getting the children out of the way. Even here they need guidance that, if effectively given, can lead them to new fields of conquest in social adjustment.

Rhythmical Games

All types of rhythm have an important place in the lives of retarded children, since they afford a means of releasing activities that have not been possible because of faulty coordination. Let the teacher begin with the child's own natural degree of rhythm and go on from that point by fitting the music to the child's activity. After the child has developed some skill in coordination, he can fit his action a little more nearly to the correct tempo of the music. In a beginning rhythm class, as in all activity, the teacher should be willing to accept much inferior work. If too much attention is given to faulty coordination, the pupil may easily lose interest in the performance. If the activity seems difficult or some degree of coordination cannot be learned through suggestion or imitation, the teacher would be far wiser to drop the activity for a while and return to it later than to try to teach the child step by step until he wearies of the effort. Often a rhythm game or dance which proved difficult and uninteresting when first presented will be quickly learned and enjoyed when it is tried again later. After the pupil has become familiar with the activity and has had some fun in executing it, his faulty coordination can be corrected without causing him to lose interest or to feel a sense of failure.

It is usually advisable to combine the teaching of rhythm with an interesting game. A child may be unable to skip in a rhythm class but able to skip quite acceptably in a simple singing game, such as "Farmer in the Dell" or "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" A waltz step may not be accomplished when presented as a simple rhythm, but in a folk dance having a waltz step it may be performed without hesitation. The dramatic interest in the folk dance is so great that the step comes more or less without effort. When remedial work with apparatus or some other form of calisthenics appears to be necessary, it, too, should as far as possible be made a part of the rhythmical activity. Faulty posture and poor physical coordination can often be overcome in this way. Even older boys and girls of low intellectual level will enjoy and gain skill in activities which normal children of their age consider "baby stuff," provided they are not ridiculed. They do not mind repetition even at an advanced age if the activity is planned with an appealing setting.