This is another excerpt from the book In the Child's World by Emilie Poulsson.

TO THE TEACHER—
"Live bees in kindergarten!" Yes; all the difficulties—and they are many —can be, have been, surmounted, and bees have been kindergarten guests for a day or more. Some lived on a large branch of blossoms in a box covered with glass on one side and netting on the other, and some in a glass jar with netting over the top and with only a Sower or two, or perhaps a wet lump of sugar for solace.

THE TALK

When we talked of the farmer we spoke of many creatures who live on the farm—some with four feet (children name them), some with two feet. Now we will look at some tiny little creatures, smaller than the cows, smaller than the sheep, smaller than the hen, smaller than the chickens, smaller than the birds, smaller than the butterflies, although, like the birds and butterflies, they can fly. Can you think of any living things so small? (Lead the children to name all the insects they can, and then produce the bees.)

Bees are so small that we shall need to use our eyes well to find out much about them. Let us listen now to what each child tells us. (Question individual children.)

How does the bee move? What can the bee do? What kind of a noise does the bee make? How many legs has it? How many wings? How many feelers? What is its body covered with? Very many soft, fine hairs so that it is like plush or velvet. What colors does the bee wear? Do you see that the bee's body shows three distinct parts? (head, thorax, abdomen—the fact not the names for the children). How many parts were there to the butterfly's body?

Now some one with very sharp eyes may tell where the wings and legs grow. Sharp eyes can find out many things. Where did the butterfly's wings and legs grow? The wings and legs of insects always grow from the middle part of the body.

Has the insect a backbone? No; its body is made in a different way. Who will be " Sharp Eyes " this time and look carefully at the back part of the bee's body? What did you see at the back part of the butterfly's body? These rings remind us of the caterpillar from which the butterfly grew. The bee has just as wonderful a story as the butterfly; for, just as the butterfly grows from a caterpillar, so a bee grows from a little white thing, like a caterpillar, which does not look at all like a bee, and which has no wings, no feelers and not even any legs. It does not need legs, for it stays in one place, never crawling about for food as the caterpillar does, for some of the older bees feed all these white babies as long as they will eat. Then they cover them over with wax and leave them to change into perfect bees.

Do you remember how wet and crumpled the butterfly was when it first came out of its chrysalis? And how it had to straighten and dry its wings before it could fly? Even this the bee does not do for itself, for some of the older bees stroke and pet and feed it until it is strong enough to fly and to work.

TEACHER'S READING

• Bees in the Hive ("The Fairy-Land of Science) by Arabella Buckley
• Bees and Flowers ("The Fairy-Land of Science) by Arabella Buckley
• Ants, Bees and Wasps by Sir John Lubbock
• An Idyl of the Honey-Bee by John Burroughs
• The Pastoral Bees ("Locusts and Wild Honey") by John Burroughs
• Telling the Bees by Whittier
• Paradise Lost (Book VII) by Milton
• The Humble-Bee by Emerson
• The Honey Makers by Margaret W. Morley
• The Bee People by Margaret W. Morley

FOR THE CHILDREN

• A Little Dark Nursery Underground ("Little Folks in Feathers and Fur") by Olive Thorne Miller
• Nurseries for Baby Insects ("Little Folks in Feathers and Fur") by Olive Thorne Miller
• Waiting for the May (Monroe's Third Reader)

The Rhyme of the Little Idle Boy (from the French.)
by Emilie Poulsson

And have you heard about the boy—
(A very little boy indeed)—
Who did not wish to work at all,
Or go to school or learn to read?

Oh! slowly, slowly did he walk,
And heavy seemed his little book,
As through the daisy fields he want
And past the merry, clattering brook.

Above his head there flew a bee.
" O Bee," the boy said, "won't you stay
And show me how you fly so high,
And talk with me, and laugh and play?"

Then, scarcely pausing, said the bee:
"Dear child, no time have I to waste.
The North Wind long has kept me back,
And now to work I gladly haste.

"Already I am laden, see!
With honey for the honeycomb;
The lilac cups more nectar hold,—
'Twixt hive and flower I ever roam."

Away then flew the downy bee,
That joyous day of early spring.
A swallow passed the little boy,
And brushed his cheek with waving wing.

She floated in the sunny air
And called aloud in happy song:
"Rejoice! Rejoice! The spring is near! "
So rang her message, clear and strong.

The child looked up with brightening face:
"O Swallow! I remember you!
You are the bird who carries joy;
O Swallow, make me happy, too.

"Do come and play with me awhile! "
"Fain would I," said the swallow then,
"For I have flown so fast and far; —
But farther must I fly again.

"For many wait with eager heart
To hear the message that I bring;
And I must bear it faithfully
And herald now the dawn of spring.

"My happy news I sing abroad,
Then—oh, what joyous work to do! —
My pretty nest, my home, to build;
Indeed, I cannot play with you."

The swift-winged swallow flew afar,
The child lagged on with footsteps slow;
And—yes! I have to own—he cried,
But then he was so small, you know."

A dog who heard the steps approach
Came stalking from his kennel door;
But pitying the crying child,
All growls and barking he forebore.

"Good doggie," said the lonely child,
"I am so very sad to-day;
The bees and birds all have to work—
They will not come with me to play.

"I do not like to work at all,
I do not care to learn to read;
O doggie dear! If I were you,
I then could always play indeed!"

Old Stentor looked upon the child
Whose dimpled fingers stroked his hair.
"What, little one? Did you not know
That even dogs in work must share?

"Not only all the livelong day
I watch my master's home and farm,
But while he sleeps without a fear,
My work it is to guard from harm.

"And more, my little one; for see
Where yonder at the heavy plow
The faithful horse our master serves; —
From year to year he works as now.

"The wool produced by yonder sheep,
Your mother, singing, spins at home.
When all are cheerily at work
Will yon, a little idler, roam?

"The busy bee gives honey sweet,
The swallow carries joy alway;
By some one's work all pleasure comes;
Will you do nothing, then, but play?

"Oh no! Go, little one, to school;
We dogs can never learn to read,
But you will be a man some day!
To be a man is grand indeed! "

The child had listened eagerly
To wise old Stentor as he spoke;
The words, " You'll be a man some day! "
A brave and manly spirit woke.

He clasped old Stentor's shaggy neck
And kissed the honest doggie's face;
And, with the book held proudly now,
Ran off to school at happy pace.

All eagerness some work to do,
Light hearted o'er the road he sped;
And reached the school. * * * When autumn came
You cannot think how well he read!

PART II.

TO THE TEACHER—
Many objects besides the bee itself will be useful for illustrating this talk,— flowers which show the pollen, a lump of war, a wax candle, a wax doll, and, best of all, a little feast of honey—honey in the comb, by all means.

THE TALK

Where do bees live? In beehives. Yes, and there are wild bees which live in the woods, in hollow trees; but when farmers and other people keep bees they provide beehives—large wooden boxes—for them to live in. (Show picture of beehive, or have a drawing on the blackboard.

A great many bees live together in one hive; as many bees, in fact, as there are people in a whole city,—from 20,000 to 60,000. One bee in each hive is different from the others and is called the queen bee. She lays all the eggs, and you should see how carefully the other bees watch and tend her! The queen cannot even feed herself, but would starve to death with honey right beside her if there were no bees to feed her! Some of the bees are called drones, and others workers. When the queen flies out of the hive the drones go with her, and when she is at home the working bees attend to her.

What kind of work do you think such little things as bees can do? Yes, they can gather honey, but they can do many other things They take care of the queen and the thousands of babies, and they make bee-bread to feed to them; they make thousands of wax cells in which they store their honey; they keep the hive clean, and, if it gets too warm inside, some of them stand at the doorway and fan fresh air into the hive with their wings! They drive away strange bees or wasps or snails or any other creatures which try to get into their hive. Do you wonder how they can tell which are the strange bees that do not belong to their hive ? Some of the wise men think it is by touching each others feelers. Whenever two bees meet they always touch each others feelers. Perhaps that is the same for them that talking is for us.
Do you know what they have to protect themselves with when troubled? A sharp little thing called a sting. It hurts very much to be stung, but a bee will not sting any one who does not trouble or frighten it in some way.

Did you ever taste honey? Bees are such hard workers that they make a great deal of honey, and so we often have some. When we take honey from the hive, enough must be left for the bees through the winter, or else we must give them syrup to live upon until the spring flowers come. After the bee has eaten all the honey it wishes from the flowers, it gathers more to take home to the hive. The honey for the hive is carried in a little bag which is inside the bee's body, and which the bee can empty into one of the wax cells. It takes a great many journeys from hive to flower and from flower to hive before a bee can fill even one cell.

How does the bee get honey (or rather the nectar which it makes into honey) from the flowers? With its long tongue, which is something like the butterfly's tongue. Bees get something else from the flowers besides honey—the yellow powder called pollen. You have seen it on pussy willows and lilies. In the spring, bees are very anxious to get the fresh pollen. Going into a flower for honey, the bee gets covered with the yellow powder, but soon brushes it off with its feet and packs it away in little baskets to carry it home. You would not have thought that the bee always carried two baskets, would you ? But there they are on its hind legs, and you can see them very plainly when they are full of the yellow pollen. Sometimes the bees fill their baskets so full that they can scarcely fly with their heavy load.

In the hive the pollen is mixed with honey, forming what is called "bee-bread," and fed to the baby bees.

You remember that the bee had a tiny bag in which to carry honey, as well as two baskets for carrying pollen. Besides the bags for honey and baskets for pollen, the bee has eight pockets on the under side of its body, out of which it gets the wax for building its cells. Just think! A bag for honey, baskets for pollen, and pockets for wax.

The cells which the bee builds are pure white and of very pretty shape—six-sided. The bees never make a mistake. They do not make some cells square and some round and some with five sides; but always make their cells six-sided. All the cells which are built together make a honeycomb. What tools do the bees have? Only their jaws (mandibles) and feet. For what are the cells used ? For storing honey and for the babies to live in. When a cell is full of honey the bee covers it over with wax. When we have honey to eat, it is sometimes in the comb and sometimes strained ; that is, all the wax is taken out of it.

Do we use wax for anything? Ask your mama if she has a piece in her workbasket, and what she does with it. Do you not remember that the cobbler uses it, too? Candles are made of wax sometimes—little ones for Christmas trees and big candles, too. And have any of these little girls wax dolls? Their pretty wax heads were also made of the bees' wax.

Try to remember the busy little bees the next time you play with your wax dolls, and whenever you eat honey.

TEACHER’S READING

• Half Hours with Insects by Alpheus Spring Packard
• A Practical Treatise on the Hive and Honey Bee by L.L. Langstroth
• Rhoecus by James R. Lowell
• The Bee by Emily Dickinson
• The Bee by Henry Vaughn

FOR THE CHILDREN

• The Bees' Pockets ("Kindergarten Stories and Morning Talks"), S. E. Wiltse

STORIES

A Narrow Escape
by Maurice Noel - Slightly altered from "Buz," Henry Holt & Co., New York.

The time came when Buz and Hum, two young bees, were allowed to try their wings.

" Follow me," said a friendly older bee ; "I can spare time to fly a little way ; and when I stop, you stop, too."

"All right," cried Buz, trembling with excitement.

Hum said nothing, but her wings began to move, almost in spite of herself.

Away went the bee, as straight as a line from the mouth of the hive, and away flew Buz and Hum after her; but at first starting they both found it a little difficult to keep quite straight, and Buz knocked against the board to begin with, and nearly stopped herself, as she had not learned how to rise.

The older bee did not go far, and lit on the branch of a peach tree which was growing against a wall hard by. Buz came after her in a great hurry, but missed the branch and gave herself a bang against the wall. Hum saw this, and managed to stop herself in time ; but she did not judge her distance very well either, and got on the peach tree in a scrambling sort of way.

" Very good," said their friend, as they all three stood together; "you will soon be able to take care of yourselves now ; but jusl let me see you back to the hive."

So off they flew again, and alighted on the board in a very creditable manner.

"Now," said the bee, " I shall leave you ; but before I go let me advise you, as a friend, not to quit the garden to-day; there are plenty of flowers, and plenty of opportunities for you to meet with 'Experience,' without flying over any of the four walls." "Who is Experience? " asked Buz and Hum together "Oh ! somebody to whom you are going to be introduced, who will teach you more in a day than you could learn from me in a week. Good-bye." So saying, she disappeared into the hive.

"Isn't it too delightful?" exclaimed Buz to Hum. "Flying! why it's even more fun than I thought!"
"It is," said Hum; "but I should like to get some honey at once."

"Of course," replied Buz, "only I should like to fly a good way to get it."

"I want to fill a cell quickly," said Hum. " Oh yes, to be sure! What a delightful thing it will be to put one's proboscis down into every flower and see what's there! Do you know," added Buz, putting out her proboscis, "I feel as if I could suck honey tremendously; don't you?"

"Yes, yes," cried Hum, "I long to be at it; let's be off at once."

So away they went and lit on a bed of flowers. Hum spent the day between the hive and that bed, and was quite, quite happy; but Buz, though she, too, liked collecting the honey, wanted to have more excitement in getting it; and every now and then, as she passed to and from the hive, a lovely field of clover, not far off, sent forth such a delicious smell, as the breeze swept over it, that she was strongly tempted to disregard the advice she had been given, and to hurry off to it.

At last she could stand it no longer; and, rising high into the air, she sailed over the wall and went out into the world beyond.

And so she reached the field of clover, and, flying quite low over the flowers, was astonished to see how many bees were busy among them—bumblebees without end, and plenty of honey. bees, too ; in fact, the air was filled with the pleasant murmur that they made.

"To be sure," said Buz to herself, " this is the place for me! Poor, dear old Hum! I hope she is enjoying herself as much as I am. I don't mean to be idle either, so here goes for some honey."

Buz was very diligent indeed and soon collected as much honey as she could carry. But by the time she had done this she found herself close to the farther end of the clover field, and while resting for a moment, before starting to carry her load to the hive, she noticed a little pond in the corner. Feeling thirsty after her hard work, she flew off to take a few sips; but just as she reached the pond and was in the act of descending, a light gust of wind caught her and turned her half over, and before she could recover herself she was plunged far out into the water!

Poor Buz! She was a brave little bee, but this was a terrible accident; and after a few wild struggles she almost gave herself up. The water was so cold, and she felt herself so helpless in it; and then the accident had happened so suddenly, and taken her so utterly by surprise, that it is no wonder she lost courage. Only for a moment though; just as she was giving up in despair the hard and seemingly useless work of paddling and struggling with all her poor little legs at once, she saw that a bit of stick was floating near her, and with renewed energy she attempted to get to it. Alas! it was all she could do to keep her head above water; as for moving along through it, that seemed impossible, and she was tempted to give up once more. It was very hard though ; there was the stick, not more than a foot away from her; if she could only reach it! At any rate she was determined it should not be her fault if she was unsuccessful; so she battled away harder than ever, though her strength began to fail and she was becoming numbed with the cold. Just as she made this last effort another gust of wind swept over the pond, and Buz saw that the stick began to move through the water, and to come nearer and nearer to her. The fact was that a small twig sticking up from it acted as a sail, though Buz did not know this. And now the stick was quite close, almost within reach; in another moment she would be on it. Ah ! but a moment seems a long time when one is at the last gasp, as poor Buz was.

Would she be drowned after all? No ! Just as she was sinking she touched the stick with one little claw, and held on as only drowning people can ; and then she got another claw safely lodged, and was able to rest for a moment. Oh ! the relief of that, after such a long and ceaseless struggle !

But even then it was very hard to get up on the stick, very hard indeed. However, Buz managed it at last, and dragged herself quite out of the cold water.

By this time the breeze was blowing steadily over the pond, and the stick would soon reach the bank ; but Buz felt very miserable and cold, and her wings clung tightly to her, and she looked dreadfully forlorn.

The pond, too, was overshadowed by trees; so there were no sunbeams to warm her. "Ah !" thought she, "if I can manage to drag myself up into the sunshine and rest and be well warmed, I shall soon be better."

Well! the bank was safely reached at last; but Buz, all through her life, never forgot what a business it was climbing up the side. The long grasses yielded to her weight, and bent almost straight down, as if on purpose to make it as up-hill work for her as possible. And even when she reached the top it took her a weary while to get across the patch of dark shadow and out into the glad sunlight beyond; but she managed to arrive there at last, and crawling on the top of a stone which had been well warmed by the sun's rays, she rested for a long time.

At last she recovered sufficiently to make her way, by a succession of short flights, back to the hive. After the first of these flights she felt so dreadfully weak that she almost doubted being able to accomplish the journey, and began to despond.

"If I ever do get home," she said to herself, "I will tell Hum all about it, and how right she was to take advice."

Now whether it was the exercise that did her good, or that the sun's rays became hotter that afternoon, cannot be known, but this is certain, that Buz felt better after every flight. When she reached the end of the clover field, she sipped a little honey, cleaned herself with her feet, stretched her wings, and, with the sun glistening brightly on her, looked quite fine again. Her last flight brought her to the top of the kitchen-garden wall. After resting here, she opened her wings and flew gaily to the hive, which she entered just as if nothing had happened.

Solomon and the Bees
by John G. Saxe

When Solomon was reigning in his glory,
Unto his throne the Queen of Sheba came—
(So in the Talmud you may read the story)—
Drawn by the magic of the monarch's fame,
To see the splendors of his court, and bring
Some fitting tribute to the mighty King.

Nor this alone: much had her Highness heard
What flowers of learning graced the royal speech;
What gems of wisdom dropped with every word;
What wholesome lessons he was wont to teach
In pleasing proverbs; and she wished, in sooth,
To know if Rumor spoke the simple truth.

Besides, the Queen had heard (which piqued her most)
How through the deepest riddles he could spy;
How all the curious arts that women boast
Were quite transparent to his piercing eye;
And so the Queen had come—a royal guest—
To put the sage's cunning to the test.

And straight she held before the monarch's view,
In either hand, a radiant wreath of flowers;
The one, bedecked with every charming hue,
Was newly culled from Nature's choicest bowers;
The other, no less fair in every part,
Was the rare product of divinest Art.

"Which is the true, and which the false?" she said.
Great Solomon was silent. All amazed,
Each wondering courtier shook his puzzled head;
While at the garlands long the monarch gazed,
As one who sees a miracle, and fain,
For very rapture, ne'er would speak again.

"Which is the true?" once more the woman asked,
Pleased at the fond amazement of the King;
' So wise a head should not be hardly tasked,
Most learned Liege, with such a trivial thing! "
But still the sage was silent; it was plain
A deepening doubt perplexed the royal brain.

While thus he pondered, presently he sees,
Hard by the casement—so the story goes—
A little band of busy, bustling bees,
Hunting for honey in a withered rose.
The monarch smiled and raised his royal head;
"Open the window! "—that was all he said.

The window opened at the King's command;
Within the rooms the eager insects flew,
And sought the flowers in Sheba's dexter hand!
And so the king and all the courtiers knew
That wreath was Nature's; and the baffled Queen
Returned to tell the wonders she had seen.

My story teaches (every tale should bear
A fitting moral) that the wise may find
In trifles light as atoms of the air
Some useful lesson to enrich the mind—
Some truth designed to profit or to please—
As Israel's King learned wisdom from the bees.

This is a lovely excerpt from the book In the Child's World by Emilie Poulsson.

FRUITS.

To THE TEACHER—

Though this talk is more upon the apple than upon fruits in general, it is better, for the sake of comparison, that the teacher should have, besides apples, a pear, peach, plum and grapes and other fruits, as convenient. The best illustrative object would be a small branch bearing both fruit and leaves. A colored picture of the apple blossom will also be needed.

Let the children first name the fruits as you hold them up one by one. Question regarding the colors. Let some of the children distinguish the fruits by touch alone, following this test with questions upon the shapes. Contrast the velvety skin of the peach with the smooth skin of the apple and pear.

Let other children name the fruits by the sense of smell, and others by the sense of taste, either now or later, during the games, or at lunch time. Take care that each of these exercises is profitable, requiring the child to discriminate by the one sense alone.

THE TALK

Where did the fruits come from? (If the children get beyond "the fruit stand" and give the general answer "from the trees," lead them to notice that each kind of fruit comes from its own kind of tree.)

Do you think it takes the apple tree a long time to get the apples ready? Indeed it does, a long, long time. Some of the older children who were in kindergarten last year may remember the apple blossoms we saw in the springtime. (Show picture of apple blossom.)

When the pretty pink and white petals dropped off the stem, there was a tiny, hard, green knob at the end of it, and all the spring and all the summer this little green knob grew and grew and grew. Finally, late in the summer or in autumn, the apple was full-grown and ripe. (A series of quick drawings, showing the gradual enlargement of the growing apple, will interest and impress the children, if done in a spirited manner. The first figures of the series could be drawn with green crayon and the later ones with green and yellow, or whatever would best represent the ripe apple which you have shown them.)

What helped the tree to make its apples? The earth and the air, the sunshine and the rain,—nothing can grow without them.

Of what use are fruits? They are very good to eat and very wholesome when ripe and fresh, or when nicely cooked. Insects, worms and birds make many a delicious feast upon them, and even the larger animals enjoy them, too, sometimes.

I was crossing a field the other day, with a lady, when two cows walked straight to her. "Oh, yes!" said the lady, "you want some apples, don't you?" Then she explained to me that she had once given these two cows some apples and that they had since come to her every time she crossed the field, evidently expecting to be treated to fruit.

What do you find inside the apple when you eat it? What in the pear? peach? plum? grape? (Let a child cut an apple in halves vertically, and another child cut a second apple horizontally, and do the same with two pears.) How many seeds in the apple? in the pear? Are the seeds of any use? Look at the apple seeds. What a shiny brown color they are and how small! Yet each seed, if planted and cared for rightly, would grow to be a tree some day—a tree with roots and trunk and branches and leaves, and with spring blossoms and autumn fruits.

Are they not useful and wonderful, then, these little brown seeds? Would you like to have a baby apple tree growing in the kindergarten? What shall we do, then? (It will be well to plant several, to ensure the desired result.)

TEACHER'S READING

• How Plants Grow by Prof. Asa Grey, M.D.
• Flower and Fruit by Jane H. Newell
• The Apple ("Winter Sunshine") by John Burroughs
• Forest Trees and Wild Apples by Thoreau
• The Planting of the Apple Tree by Bryant
• The Fruit Gift by Whittier
• The Cellar Scene ("Bitter Sweet") by J.G. Holland
• To Autumn by Keats
• The Orchard Lands of Long Ago by James Whitcomb Riley
• August ("There Were Four Apples on the Bough") by Swinburne

FOR THE CHILDREN

• The Nut Gatherers ("Kindergarten Gems") by Agnes Taylor Ketchum, Ida M. Jorgensen
• The Four Peaches ("Kindergarten Gems") by Agnes Taylor Ketchum, Ida M. Jorgensen

STORIES

The Sleeping Apple (From the German)
by Lizzie Willis, Kindergarten Magazine

High up in a tree, among the green leaves, hung a little apple with such rosy cheeks it looked as though it might be sleeping. A little child came near, and standing under its branches, she looked up and called to the apple : " O apple! Come to me; do come down to me! You do not need to sleep so long."

She called so long and begged so hard, but the apple did not waken; it did not move in its bed, but looked as though it was laughing at her in its sleep.

Then came the bright sun; high in the heavens he shone. "O Sun! lovely Sun!" said the child, "please waken the apple for me." The sun said: "O, yes; with pleasure I will." So he sent his bright beams straight in the face of the apple and kissed it kindly, but the apple did not move a bit.

Then there came a bird, and perched upon a bough of the tree and sang a beautiful song, but even that did not waken the sleeping apple. And what comes now! "I know," said the child, " he will not kiss the apple—and he cannot sing to it, he will try another way." Sure enough, the wind puffed out his cheeks and blew and blew, and shook the tree, and the little apple was so frightened that it awoke and jumped down from the tree and fell right in the apron of the little child. She was much surprised, and so glad that she said to him, "I thank you very much, Mr. Wind."

Wait and See
by Josephine Jarvis

A baby beech tree was growing by the side of its mother. It said to her one day,
"Mother, I wish I knew of what use I can be in the world. There is Neighbor Oak who throws down acorns for our master's pig to eat. Neighbor Birch gives him some smooth bark to make into a boat. Neighbor Spruce gives him gum to pour over the joinings of the boat to keep it from leaking, and all the others can help in some way; but what can I do?" "Wait and see," said the mother tree. So the little tree waited.

By and by some pretty flowers shaped like this (showing flower or a picture of some flowers resembling the blossoms of the beech) came upon the baby tree. Then the little tree was happy. "Oh!" it said, "now I see what good I can do. I can please our master by looking pretty."

When the blossoms fell off, the poor little tree felt badly. "O mother! "it said, "all my pretty flowers are gone, and now I cannot even look pretty any longer. What shall I do?" "Wait and see," said the mother tree. The little tree thought that waiting was a hard thing to do, but it said to itself, "Mother knows best, so I'll do what she says."

After a while some small green prickly things came where the flowers had been. These pleased the little tree as much as the flowers had done, and it was content to wait, and see if they were of any use except to look pretty.

Then the little green prickly things all turned brown and the baby beech tree thought they were not pretty any longer. "Oh, dear! mother," it said, "my little green prickly things have all turned brown, and now I cannot even look pretty any longer. What shall I do?" "Wait and see," said the mother tree. So the little tree waited.

The autumn had come, and the weather was beginning to be cold in the part of the country where the baby beech tree lived. One morning after a heavy frost, the baby beech tree found that its little brown prickly things had all fallen. "O mother!" it said, "there are my little prickly things on the ground, and now I am sure I shall never be of any use to anybody." "Do not be discouraged yet; wait and see," said the mother tree.

Just then the master's children came along. They had baskets in their hands, for they were going to pick up nuts in the woods. As they came under the baby beech, the eldest boy stopped. " O children ! See!" he cried, " here are the beech nuts on the ground. Mother likes them better than any other kind of nuts. Let us pick them all up and take them home to her."

As the children went away with the nuts, the mother tree said, "Now, my dear, you see what good you can do." " Yes mother," said the little tree. And ever after it was content, eren when it grew to be a big tree—as big as its mother.

Apple-Seed John
by Lydia Marie Child, St. Nicholas, June 1880

Poor Johnny was bended well-nigh double
With years of toil, and care, and trouble;
But his large old heart still felt the need
Of doing for others some kindly deed.

"But what can I do?" old Johnny said;
"I who work so hard for daily bread?
It takes heaps of money to do much good;
I am far too poor to do as I would."

The old man sat thinking deeply a while,
Then over his features gleamed a smile,
Then he clapped his hands with a boyish glee,
And said to himself, " There's a way for me!"

He worked, and he worked with might and main,
But no one knew the plan in his brain.
He took ripe apples in pay for chores,
And carefully cut from them all the cores.

He filled a bag full, then wandered away,
And no man saw him for many a day.
With knapsack over his shoulder slung,
He marched along, and whistled or sung.

He seemed to roam with no object in view,
Like one who had nothing on earth to do;
But, journeying thus o'er the prairies wide,
He paused now and then, and his bag untied.

With pointed cane deep holes he would bore,
And in ev'ry hole he placed a core;
Then covered them well, and left them there
In keeping of sunshine, rain and air.

Sometimes for days he waded through grass,
And saw not a living creature pass,
But often, when sinking to sleep in the dark,
He heard the owls hoot and the prairie dogs bark.

Sometimes an Indian of sturdy limb
Came striding along and walked with him;
And he who had food shared with the other,
As if he had met a hungry brother.

When the Indian saw how the bag was filled,
And looked at the holes the white man drilled,
He thought to himself 'twas a silly plan
To be planting seed for some future man.

Sometimes a log cabin came in view,
Where Johnny was sure to find jobs to do,
By which he gained stores of bread and meat,
And welcome rest for his weary feet.

He had full many a story to tell,
And goodly hymns that he sung rignt well;
He tossed up the babes, and joined the boys
In many a game full of fun and noise.

And he seemed so hearty, in work or play,
Men, women, and boys all urged him to stay;
But he always said, " I have something to do,
And I must go on to carry it through."

The boys, who were sure to follow him round,
Soon found what it was he put in the ground;
And so, as time passed and he traveled on,
Ev'ry one called him " Old Apple-seed John."

Whenever he'd used the whole of his store,
He went into cities and worked for more;
Then he marched back to the wilds again,
And planted seed on hill-side and plain.

In cities, some said the old man was crazy;
While others said he was only lazy;
But he took no notice of gibes and jeers,
He knew he was working for future years.

He knew that trees would soon abound
Where once a tree could not have been found:
That a flick'ring play of light and shade
Would dance and glimmer along the glade;

That blossoming sprays would form fair bowers,
And sprinkle the grass with rosy showers;
And the little seeds his hands had spread
Would become ripe apples when he was dead.

So he kept on traveling far and wide,
Till his old limbs failed him, and he died.
He said at the last, " 'Tis a comfort to feel
I've done good in the world, though not a great deal."

Weary travelers, journeying west,
In the shade of his trees find pleasant rest;
And they often start, with glad surprise,
At the rosy fruit that round them lies.

And if they inquire whence came such trees,
Where not a bough once swayed in the breeze,
The answer still conies, as they travel on,
"These trees were planted by Apple-seed John."

This afternoon I spent a little time browsing for Autumn nature study ideas. I was thrilled to discover a Vintage Fall/Autumn Nature Study post at Happy Hearts At Home, then some fun creative writing projects: Letter Writing in Connection with Autumn Nature Study and finally this delightful "Fall Nature Study" (see below) from The Teacher, the School and the Community (1918) by Inez Nellie Canfield McFee. Altogether, there are some really wonderful ideas!

Fall Nature Study

What does it mean when the crickets chirp,
And away to the southland the wild geese steer;
When apples are falling and nuts are brown?
These are the signs that autumn is here.
[Our Little Ones]

Question the children for further signs of autumn. Have them bring in poems regarding Jack Frost. Talk about the preparations on every hand that Nature is making for winter. How does the wind sound in the fall? Read and discuss "The Gladness of Nature," by Bryant.

Poems:

• "Lost: The Summer," by R. M. Alden.
• "Fall Fashions," by Edith M. Thomas.
• "September," and "October's Bright Blue Weather," by Helen Hunt Jackson.
• "October," by Wordsworth.
• "Merry Autumn," by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
• "The Night Wind," by Eugene Field.

THE FLOWERS

1. What flowers bloom along the roadsides at this season?
2. What flowers are blossoming in the garden?
3. Make a collection of bulbs. Learn how to store them for the winter. What bulbs should be bedded at this season? Plant hyacinth, tulip, and narcissus bulbs in pots for forcing. They make lovely Christmas gifts.
4. Tell the legend of the chrysanthemum; the legend of the goldenrod and aster; the legend of the closed gentian.

Poems:

"Goldenrod," in Nature in Verse, by Mary Lovejoy. "Death of the Flowers," and "To the Fringed Gentian," by Bryant.

THE TREES

The splendor of the trees in autumn is ever a source of wonder and delight to the children. Encourage them to collect and press leaves for the decoration of the schoolroom. Group trees dressed in red and yellow, crimson, purple and green. Notice which trees change their leaves first. Explain why the trees are so gayly dressed. Once we thought the rich colors due to Jack Frost, now we know it is to the decaying mineral matter in the leaves. All summer long the leaves have busily sorted certain minerals from the air and water; the tree could not use them so the leaves obligingly stored them away in their own cells. How they are repaid for their labor in their beautiful dresses of every sheen and hue!

Read and discuss, "How the Leaves Came Down," by Susan Coolidge. Explain the real reason for the falling leaves: The sap of the tree absorbs the living matter and the food cells of the leaves as the cold weather draws near, so that the tree may store up enough nourishment on which to live through the winter, and to feed her tiny leaf buds until they get old enough to look after themselves. Have the children examine leaves that are ready to fall, and lead them to discover the layer of tissue which has been built across the end of the petiole; this loosens the leaf stalk and it only waits for a gale of wind to carry it away.

Remember next year's buds are formed before the old leaves fall. Autumn is really the beginning of the year as far as the tree's life is concerned. The children will delight in looking for the tiny babies. A willow branch will best serve for the first lesson, for its buds are the easiest to see. The bud is right at the base of the leaf stalk, enclosed in a single wrapping. It is made of two tiny leaves joined by their margins. Strip off the wrapper carefully with a needle and the bud is laid bare. But you cannot see how perfect it really is without a magnifying glass. There are five or six of next year's leaves, complete in every way, even to the veins and the delicate toothing of the edge. Some buds are very small and hard to find. If you were to pull off an old sumac leaf you would likely fail to see the bud. But wipe off the tiny drop of milk which fills the wound and you will find a small, pale hump. With a magnifying glass and a needle you can pick out the tiny cluster of next year's leaves. Perhaps the most interesting bud chamber of all is that of the honey locust. It is formed at the base of the old leaf stalk, and is a dear little room, shaped like a horse's hoof, all lined with a wall of white fur, and cuddling three or four baby leaf buds. The leaf buds of the sycamore are hidden in a chamber under the stem of the old leaf.

Pupils will be interested in studying the witch-hazel which, unlike other trees, blossoms in the fall.

Poems:

• "Autumn Woods," by Bryant.
• "Under the October Maples," by Lowell.
• "Before the Leaves Fall," by Margaret Sangster.
• "How the Leaves Came Down," by Susan Coolidge.
• "The Maple and the Pine," "October's Party," "Autumn
• Leaves," and "The Little Leaves" by George Cooper.

SEEDTIME

All summer long the plants and trees have been preparing for this the most important time of all the year. They have absorbed the sunshine and the rain, the light and the air, and the food which the hundreds of tiny rootlets have gathered from the soil in order to grow and perfect their seeds. And they have accomplished a noble work; for truly a seed is a most wonderful thing! Take, for example, the poppy seed. How very small it is! And yet a wondrous glory is folded inside.

Robes, my dear, that are fit for kings;
Scarlet splendor that dazzles the eyes;
Buds, flowers, leaves, stalks,— so many things!
[Celia Thaxter]

Many plants furnish seeds so rich in nourishment that they are good for food. (Ask the children to make a list of these.) It is not necessary for nature to take care in fashioning these seeds so that they may be easily distributed. Men will look after this business. This is also true of many of the seeds in the flower garden. We gladly gather them and tie them up in neatly-labeled packages ready for planting when spring comes. It is different with the wild flowers and weeds. If their species are renewed, it must be by their own efforts. Call attention to the dandelion and the thistle. Pull one of the airy silken balls to pieces and note the tiny seed at the end of each plume. How swiftly it sails with the wind! Lead the children to note other devices for seed distribution; have them group the plants according to the agent used. Thus:

Sails — dandelion, milkweed, cat-tail, thistle.

Hooks — burdocks, sticktights.

Wings — maple, linden.

Springs — touch-me-not, witch-hazel.

Often Mother Nature devises very cunning treasure boxes for the safe-keeping of her precious seeds. These boxes are not like any that we use. There are many different kinds. Such odd shapes and sizes and so wondrously colored! The children will enjoy making a collection of these. Make a list of plants that protect their seeds in burr, shell, and pod treasure boxes. Many seeds are concealed within treasure boxes that are themselves used for food, as the different kinds of fruit and vegetables. Take the watermelon for instance. The rich luscious fruit that we find so delicious is only a careful protection for the host of seeds in the very heart of the big treasure box. And the apple, the pear, and the orange-— to us these are the most Important things about the trees which bear them. But to the trees themselves it is the little seeds within these richly colored treasure boxes that are important.

How are seeds scattered? By the wind, by water, and by animals. Coconuts and certain beans and grains have been carried clear across the sea by the action of the waves, and have been planted upon new shores. Man scatters more seeds than all other agencies combined; he is continually buying, selling, and planting seeds. Hang pods, shells and burrs where children can watch them opening. Open a ripe milkweed pod; put the seeds in a bottle, so that the pupils may see how many seeds were packed in the tiny treasure box. Estimate the number of seeds growing on a single plant. Why are the seeds provided with sails? What would happen if they all settled down close about the mother plant? Lead the children to see that the struggle for life is less where the plants are different than in a clump where all are alike.

Make a school collection of garden, field, and weed seeds. For this purpose two-ounce bottles with screw tops are best. They may be labeled as useful seeds, pests, ways of distribution, and so on.

Bring in as many nut "samples" as possible, for a nut party.

Let all the work with seeds, fruit, and nuts typify the glory of the harvest home. (Read Dunbar's "Merry Autumn.")

Songs:

"October," and "Nutting Time."

Poems:

• "The Pumpkin," "The Fruit Gift," "The Huskers," by Whittier.
• "The Cornfields," by Mary Howitt.
• "Indian Summer," by Emily Dickinson.
• "The Cornstalk Fiddle," by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
• "When the Frost is on the Punkin," by J. Whitcomb Riley.
• "Maize for the Nation's Emblem," by Celia Thaxter.
• "A Thanksgiving," by Lucy Larcom.

BIRDS

Read Stedman's "Flight of the Birds." Talk about migration.

1. Have pupils tell which birds are the first to go. Why do they leave?
2. Do the birds that go south nest there?
3. What birds stay all the year? Bring out the idea that birds living on worms and insects could find no food in winter. Those living on seeds sometimes remain in the North if the weather is not too severe.
4. Hawks are more or less troublesome at this time of year. Talk about the common chicken hawk, the little blue darter, the sparrow hawk, and the sharp-shinned hawk. Are the hawks enemies of mankind? (See Birds That Hunt and Are Hunted, by Neltje Blanchan.)
5. Learn to know some of the common water birds.
6. Do the birds change their dress for winter? Bobolink and goldfinch are familiar types.

Poems:

• "To a Waterfowl," by Bryant.
• "The Herons of Elm wood," by Longfellow.
• "The Departure of the Swallow," by W. Howitt.
• "The Wanderings of the Birds" and "The Last Robin," by H. S. Washburn.
• " Story of a Blackbird," by Alice Cary.

ANIMALS AND INSECTS

When we are getting ready for winter, what are all the wood animals doing? Do they know that winter is coming? How do the squirrels, the chipmunks, and the field mice prepare for winter? Who has discovered the fur- lined nest of a field mouse under some low, sheltered shrub, or dug into a squirrel's underground storehouse? Does the rabbit prepare for winter? Question children to bring out stories and habits of these little friends in fur. Read and discuss selections from Sharp Eyes by Gibson; read Queer Ways of Br'er Rabbit by W. Long. Mention enemies of the squirrels and rabbits, hawks, owls, weasels, foxes, hedgehogs, cats, and man. Read Riverby by Burroughs, and the fable of the Hare and the Tortoise.

How does the bear prepare for winter? He eats a great deal and gets very fat. Then he hunts about for a snug den in a hillside or for a sheltered hollow log or tree; here he sleeps until roused by the voices of spring. Ask the children to learn about other animals that spend the winter in sleep. Read Ways of Wood Folk, by William Long.

What about toads, frogs, and turtles? They burrow deep into the mud before the ground freezes. Bats hang themselves up by their toes in some cozy corner and sleep most of the time. The nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers make many a winter meal from the countless insects and larvae sheltered under the bark of the trees. Flies creep into snug corners and cracks and lie as though dead, creeping out occasionally on warm, dry days. Spiders crawl into their dens and go fast asleep. Caterpillars build cradles for themselves on the sunny side of twigs and limbs, and under rocks and logs. How many have seen these odd cradles, or cocoons, as they are called? They are woven of fine silken thread, with now and then a bit of moss twined in for warmth and strength, and so fashioned that the caterpillar is securely shut up inside. Here he sheds his furry coat and dons a shiny, hard, brown one. The old coat is rolled up at his feet, and he goes to sleep snug and warm till spring calls. Who knows what happens then?

Talk about the habits of frogs and toads. Of what use are they? Frogs destroy large numbers of slugs and insects and serve in their turn as food for other animals. Toads destroy countless worms and larvae that are injurious to vegetation. They are valued allies in the garden and excellent flytraps!

What becomes of the bees and wasps in winter? Who in the summer has seen where a wasp has dug a tunnel in the packed sand, laid its eggs at the bottom, provisioned it with grasshoppers, and then filled it up so carefully that there was not a sign of the secret chamber?

How do the ants, beetles, and grasshoppers spend the winter?

References:

Bass, Florence. Highways and Byways and Stories of Insect Life.
Beard, J. C. Curious Homes and Their Tenants.
Burroughs, John. Birds and Bees.
Comstock, J. H. The Spider Book.
Ingersoll, Ernest. Wild Neighbors.
Kelly, M. A. B. Short Stories of Our Shy Neighbors.
Morley, M. W. Bee People.
Patri, Angelo. White Patch.

In preparation for the new school year, I decided to give our blog a much needed overhaul. The old layout simply wasn't working for me anymore, so I decided to brush up on my HTML/XML skills, experiment with digital scapbooking and tackle a new design. For the most part, I'm quite pleased with the results and hope that it will allow for easier updates throughout the year. The graphics used were from free digital scrapbooking sets found at Shabby Princess.

My number one pet peeve (and it's huge!) is that all of our rounded photos have a white background, which means they stand out rather unattractively now. I briefly debated removing and correcting all of the pictures, but that would have been a massive undertaking that I wasn't quite up for, so they remain. Eventually as new pictures are added, the old pictures won't be so prominent, but for now they bug me tremendously!

In the past few weeks I've been working hard to finalize our plans for the new school year, and changing my mind about a million times in the process. Shortly after my last post, I made the decision to scrap the bulk of my plans for history and use Tapestry of Grace instead. The TOG plans were surprisingly similar to my own, but helped fill in some of the gaps I'd been struggling with, so I think they'll be a good fit for us. I'm hoping that I've finally found a history program that we can stick with!

I am a bit concerned that so much history is covered in TOG Year 2, it moves quite a lot faster than I'd wanted. Nevertheless, I'm going to take it one unit at a time and see how things go, adjusting our pace as needed. We'll need to start out with Year 1, Unit 4 - in order to study Ancient Rome - before moving on to Year 2. And, I've got a few plans for history that I'm not willing to relinquish (such as a medieval garden project), so I'll be trying to work those in as we go along.

With our curricula for the year more or less established, I've been searching for ways to better organize myself. Organization is something that I've struggled with for years, and between working full-time and homeschooling this year, I realized that it's going to be important for my sanity to have a better system in place! My first step (aside from ordering Managers of Their Homes, which I still need to read), was inspired by Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight - I set up a file crate system. In my file crate thus far, I've got a folder for each month of the year, a planning calendar and weekly folders for each week of TOG Year 1, Unit 4. I'll be adding additional folders for the remaining weeks as I plan them. To spare myself a great deal of stress and confusion, I've decided to plan out one TOG unit at a time!

I haven't decided exactly how the system will work yet, but currently each folder contains the TOG weekly overview, along with the reading list and printables (worksheets, notebooking pages, additional reading, etc.) for the week. I've supplemented with printables from other sources, in addition to those provided by TOG. I'll be adding project ideas as I find them and have an index to the weeks typed up in Word. I'm thinking I'll pull and copy the printables as I do my planning each week so that the kids can add them to their binders as we go. This seemed a better option than handing them a pre-filled binder at the beginning of the year.

The monthly folders contain seasonal and liturgical ideas for the month - crafts, recipes, reading lists, etc. I'm hoping that this will enable me to incorporate these activities on a regular basis because it's something we all enjoy very much.

Neither Rhyme nor Reason has a terrific wooden sword tutorial and Our Little Nature Nest has this simple Golden Silk Cape Tutorial.

Dragon Bread - a recipe and a verse - also from Our Little Nature Nest.

Coloring Pages: St. Michael, St. Raphael, St. Gabriel

From Catholic Culture:

"Make some recipes related to Michaelmas. Of special mention is the St. Michael Bannock from Scotland, roast goose and stuffing from Britain, waffles from France, and roast duck from Germany or France, gnocchi from Italy. Blackberries, apples and carrots also play a large role on this feast in various countries. Other ideas: make an angel food cake, devil's food cake or angel hair pasta. Decorate with white, symbolizing the angels, or use other symbolic colors (see above). Non-dessert items: deviled eggs, deviled meats, etc."

"Try to find the Michaelmas daisy, a purple aster, to use for decoration. It also comes in other colors, including white, but purple is the most popular. It usually blooms in late summer until October. The official name is Aster novi-belgii, but is also known as New York aster."


"Folklore in the British Isles suggests that Michaelmas day is the last day that blackberries can be picked. It is said that when St. Michael expelled Lucifer, the devil, from heaven, he fell from the skies and landed in a prickly blackberry bush. Satan cursed the fruit, scorched them with his fiery breath, and stamped and spat on them, so that they would be unfit for eating. A Traditional Irish proverb says: On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on the blackberries. If you have access to blackberries, make this the last picking and eating. Perhaps make a blackberry pie?"

• Michaelmas [Blackberry] Pie

Additional Ideas:

The Feast of the Archangels from Domestic-Church.com
Exploring Angels from Domestic-Church.com
The Angels from Around the Year with the Von Trapp Family

Well here it is July, when I'd hoped to start our new school year, and we're not quite ready yet. It's been another rough month, but after some delays I finally had surgery a couple of weeks ago and following a rather nightmarish "adjustment" period, I seem to be on the road to recovery - hopefully my shunt won't pose any further problems (fingers seriously crossed!)!

Fortunately, despite everything, I've been steadily piecing together a plan for next year and doing a lot of reading. Since I'm passionate about the Middle Ages, I've been avidly researching all sorts of things and the results have been exhilarating - as far as history goes, it's going to be a wonderful year (or at least I hope so!)! I've decided to break from the traditional four-year cycle just a bit by devoting an entire year to the Middle Ages (AD 500-1400), There's simply too much to cover otherwise - especially when you consider that we've still got to get through Ancient Rome!

For everything else, here's my list in progress:

Language Arts

• English: Rod & Staff Building Christian English, continued from last year.
• Reading: Undecided. We have CLE Light Units from last year to finish, but I'm thinking that we may switch to the Faith & Freedom Readers from Seton, and/or their Reading Comprehension and Thinking Skills workbooks. I'm still working on our literature selections for the year.
• Penmanship: At a recent homeschool convention, my daughter selected Rod & Staff's Penmanship for Christian Writing for herself, however I've yet to find anything for the boys. I'm thinking they will most likely use CHC's Handwriting Level 4 and a little of Writing Can Help 5B: Scripture Handwriting. The latter includes instructions for a simple Versal script and designs like those used by monks to adorn scripture, which will be perfect as we study illuminated manuscripts.
• Vocabulary: English From the Roots Up - This was an impulse convention purchase, but I haven't yet decided if we'll actually use it.
• Spelling: Finally I've found a simple spelling/dictation program that I think I'll love: Spelling Wisdom.
  

Latin

• Latina Christiana I
• Ludere Latine I
• CHC's Little Latin Readers
  

Math

For Math, we'll finish up our Singapore books from last year, then progress to the next level(s).

Science

• Classical Astronomy: Signs & Seasons
• Botany: Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation with Botany
  

Electives

• Art Appreciation: Seton's Art Through Faith, CHC's Learning to Appreciate Art and Art Masterpieces: A Liturgical Collection, plus several Sister Wendy art appreciation books.
  
• Home Economics: CHC's Sewing with Saint Anne, See and Sew: A Sewing Book for Children...more TBA.
• Japanese: Japanese has been requested by 3 of the kids (and I wouldn't mind learning myself!), but I'm still undecided. If we do pursue it, we'll use Genki with Japanese the Manga Way: An Illustrated Guide to Grammar and Structure, Kana de Manga: A Fun, Easy Way to Learn the ABC's of Japanese, Japanese in Mangaland and/or Kanji in Mangaland as supplements.
• Computer Programming: TBA