When he enters school, should he have only books? No, his hands still demand employment. He is now led to fashion from paper what he has already made with his blocks and toys. He is occupied, he is interested, and he is cultivating concentration and industrious habits. Is this worth while?
Begin the lessons with a talk on the manufacture and uses of paper. By a story, an association or the suggestion of a future use the child should be made to feel that he is doing something worth while. This will accentuate the interest and deepen the impression.
All models given may be increased or decreased in size if the proportions are adhered to, but the dimensions stated are those commonly used.
A Model Lesson
Aim—To construct a windmill or pin-wheel.
Each child should have a five-inch square, a slender stick five inches long, a pin, a ruler, a pair of scissors, and a lead pencil.
The children are supposed to know that every piece of paper, laid in position, has a back edge, a front edge, a right edge, a left edge, a right-back corner, a left-back corner, a right-front corner, a left-front corner, and that, in tracing, the forefinger of the right hand is used.
Three questions after each direction will be sufficient. The questions aim to have a complete statement in answer, and to develop an unconsciously correct use of the verb. This may appear slow at first, but soon the replies will come quickly and the answer will be correctly given.
