1. The Kindergarten—Its value to manners. Is it a good preparation for later work?
2. The Public School—Training children to regular habits of study. Dealing with individual difficulties. Desk-mates. Moral influence of child on child.
3. Parent and Teacher—Relations of interest and friendship. Mutual suggestions. The backward child.
4. The School and Health—Sanitation of the school. Danger of contagion (the individual drinking-cup, etc.). Watchfulness over sight and hearing. The out-of-doors school.
Books to Consult—Herbert Spencer: Education. Luther Burbank: Training of the Human Plant. J. Mark Baldwin: Mental Development in the Child and the Race. G. Stanley Hall: Aspects of Child Life and Education. Irving King: Psychology of Child Development.
The school life of the child should be discussed from the standpoint of both parent and teacher. The watchful care over the child's morals is an important topic. The child's home work, how much should be done; and at what hours, is a subject for discussion. The school dress of little girls, the tidiness of both boys and girls, school lunches, the plays of the noon-hour, are all suggestive. Beautifying the school-room with pictures, casts and flowers may well be considered.
III—PLAY AND PLAYMATES
1. The Place of Play in Child Life—The development of body and mind in infancy, childhood, and youth. Intelligent direction of play by parents and teachers. Cultivation of originality.
2. Outdoor Play—The building instinct: the sand-pile, miniature houses, practical play-houses, camps. Plays of imagination: Indians, pirates, hunters. Athletic games.
3. Indoor Play—Contests of intelligence and skill. Group games: anagrams, twenty questions, etc. Manual and educational plays.