Special Method in Primary Reading and Oral Work with Stories Part 12

"Oh, violets, pretty violets, I pray you tell to me Why are you the first flowers That bloom upon the lea?" etc.

A TREE GAME--(SPRING OR FALL)

_Material._--Leaves of the different trees with which the children are familiar.

Glenn may be a maple tree.

Choose your leaf.

Wallace may be an elm tree.

Choose your leaf.

Chauncey may be a birch tree.

Choose your leaf, etc.

Make a little forest.

Toss in the wind.

(The leaves are pinned upon the children as each chooses his leaf, and they dance lightly about as if tossed by the wind.)

CARING FOR THE ANIMALS

_Material._--Wooden or paper animals. A portion of the table is marked off by a chalk line for the farmyard.

Drive in a pig, Willie.

Lead in a horse, Gregory.

Drive in a sheep, Sadie.

Lead in a cow, Roy, etc.

They are driven in at night, then driven out in the morning. Sometimes they are hurried in because of the approach of a storm.

DOLL PLAY--(GENERAL)

_Material._--Penny dolls or larger ones.

Take a doll.

Rock the baby.

Pat the baby.

Sing the baby to sleep.

Put the baby to bed.

Take up the baby.

Wash its face.

Comb its hair.

Feed it bread and milk.

Take it for a walk.

At the direction, "Sing the baby to sleep," the children sing very softly:--

"Rock-a-bye Baby,"--or some other lullaby.

The bed is the chair on which the child is sitting. All stand and turn about together to put the babies to bed. They go through the movements only of was.h.i.+ng the face and hands and combing the hair, and of feeding bread and milk. They perform these acts in unison.

THE RAINBOW FAIRIES--(SPRING)

_Material._--Large bows of tissue paper with streamers, of the various colors mentioned.

Eva may be a yellow fairy.

Roy may be a blue fairy.

Edith may be a green fairy.

Louise may be a red fairy.

Lloyd may be an orange fairy.

Sadie may be a violet fairy.

The others may be trees.

Join hands, fairies.

Dance about the trees.

As the first direction is given Eva steps to the table and takes a yellow bow which is pinned to her left shoulder: the others follow as called upon.

THE LEAVES

_Material._--A leaf of one of several colors pinned on each child. The wind calls:--

Come yellow leaf.

Come red leaf.

Come green leaves, etc.

Dance in the wind.

At the last direction the children fly over a small area, hither and thither; some one way, some another, pa.s.sing and repa.s.sing one another, simulating the leaves in a storm.

A FLOCK OF BIRDS

All the children are little birds.

Fly to the fields.

Pick up seeds.

Take a drink.

Bathe in the creek.

Preen your feathers.

Fly home.

Perch on a twig.

_Sing._

They sing:--

"We are little birdies, Happy we, happy we.

We are little birdies Singing in a tree."