FIRST YEAR
FIRST WEEK
Monday
What month is this? What month is just ended? What month comes after June? What season is this? What are the three summer months? Name the four seasons. What season is just ended? What season comes after summer? In what month does school close for the summer? In what month does school open again?
Tuesday
Write:
This is the —— (supply first, second, or whatever day it is) of June.
Wednesday
Story-poem for reproduction:
THE MAIDEN AND THE BEE
Said a little wondering maiden,
To a bee with honey laden,
“Bee, in all the flowers you work,
Yet in some doth poison lurk.”
“That I know, my little maiden,”
Said the bee with honey laden;
“But the poison I forsake,
And the honey only take.”
“Cunning bee with honey laden,
That is right,” replied the maiden.
“So will I from all I meet,
Only take the good and sweet.”—Selected
Read the poem to the children, and explain its meaning.
Thursday
Talk about bees and honey. Where the bees find the honey. How they carry to the hive. The honeycomb. Have you eaten honey? Have you eaten honey in the comb? What is the comb made of?
Friday
Write:
Bees take honey from flowers.
Bees put the honey in honeycomb.
SECOND WEEK
Monday
Write two sentences about daisies.
Tuesday
Name two white flowers; two red flowers; two pink flowers; two yellow flowers.
Wednesday
Fill the blanks with an appropriate word indicating color:
A daisy is ——.
Violets are ——.
I have a —— buttercup.
This apple blossom is ——.
This tulip is ——.
This tulip is not red, it is ——.
Thursday
Show the children a daisy or buttercup blossom. Talk about the flower, the stem, the leaves, the root; the part that the rain, the sunshine, and the earth have in making the plant grow.
Friday
Play, as a game, the growth of the daisy. One child represent the sun, another the rain, others daisy leaves, stems, roots, blossoms. The children will work out their own game, with a little helpful suggestion.
THIRD WEEK
Monday
Place a number of small objects upon a desk or table. Have the children see how many of the objects they can name, after they have had a minute to observe the objects, and then these are hidden.
Tuesday
Conversation on Sight:
How do we see objects? Why do we need to take the best possible care of our eyes? What do we call a person who cannot see? How far can you see? Can you see a grain of sand? Can you see at night? What animal can see at night?
Wednesday
Write a list of as many objects as possible that you can see as you sit at your desk.
Thursday
Have the children cover their eyes. Pound on a tin pan. Have children guess what the sound was. Ring a small bell. What was the sound? Blow on a whistle. What was it? Stamp on the floor. Have the children guess what the sound was.
Friday
Conversation on Hearing:
How do we hear? Why is it necessary to take care of our ears? (Explain how the ears should be cared for.) What is a person who cannot hear called? How do our ears differ from a dog’s ears? A cat’s ears? The ears of a horse? Can we move our ears? Can we move our eyes? What are some of the sounds you have heard this morning?
FOURTH WEEK
Monday
Have the children close their eyes. Place on each tongue a bit of salt. How many know what it was? Do the same with a bit of sugar, a bit of vinegar, a bit of nutmeg.
Tuesday
Conversation on Taste:
How do we taste? What have we in the mouth that helps us to taste? (Tongue.) What becomes of what we eat after it has been chewed? Do we taste food after it has been swallowed?
(Have the children test this by actual experiment, with an apple, or some other eatable with pronounced taste.) Tell the children about the taste-buds on the tongue that help us to tell the flavor of what we take into the mouth.
Wednesday
Have the children close their eyes. Allow each child to smell cologne, vinegar, a lemon, and an onion. How many can tell by the scent what each is?
Thursday
Conversation on Smelling:
With what do we smell? Can we smell anything if we cover the nose? Why is it difficult to smell anything if one has a cold? Which has the keener sense of smell, you or a dog? Can a horse smell? A cow? A cat? How does a cat know when a mouse is near?
Friday
Have the children close their eyes. Allow each child to feel a soft ball, a marble, a handkerchief, and a piece of crayon. How many can guess, by the feeling, what the objects are? How do we know, by feeling, whether an article is hard or soft? What part of the hand has the most sensitive sense of touch? How does a cat know if we pull her tail? How do you know when a pin pricks you? How does a dog know when a flea is biting him?