And he flew to the door

Of a little lame boy,

And sang till the air

Was filled with joy

The prettiest song he knew.

Miss Edna Dean Baker, president of the National Kindergarten Association, says,

"We need to subject our children to every uplifting influence that makes for clean, honest, strong character. We need to seek for a permanent remedy for selfishness which is causing the strife between capital and labor as well as all other strife. The Sunday school is one medium for this valuable training."

NEST WANTED

By Marian F. Adlington, New York City

Birdie dear, birdie dear,
Where have you been?

I've looked for you everywhere

But found none of your kin.

Child dear, child dear,

I'll tell you true

I've been out house hunting

Because my rent was raised too.

SELF-RELIANCE

The Kindergarten child is independent, self-reliant. He is called upon constantly to look out for himself, his surroundings, the younger children. He straightens cupboards, puts on his own coat, waters plants, leads the games, sings alone; not very big acts in themselves, but the Kindergarten child is not very big, and these independent acts day after day, suited to his ability at 4 or 5 years, make independence, self-reliance in bigger measures, at 8 or 10 years.

The kindergaten is the one department of our public school system which trains not only the intellectual, but the moral, ethical and social natures of the child.

WRITERS FOR THE "HELPING EACH

OTHER" DEPARTMENT

BLANCHE S. S. BLACKWELL, Brandon, Manitoba.
BLANCHE CHAPIN, Wolcott, N. Y.
MARY E. COTTING, Waltham, Mass.

MABEL HELENA CROFTS, Public School No. 23. Richmond Borough, New York City.

HELEN P. DAVIS, Portland, Me.

MILDRED DONALDSON. 1020 Dovercourt Road, Toronto, Ont.

JESSIE S. EASLEY, Ringgold, Texas.
BESSIE FLICKER, Sycamore, Ohio.
ELSIE FORSYTHE, Hebron, O.

ROTHA E. GATES, 73 Fayette St., Palmyra, N. Y. JENNIE F. GRIMES. 190 Madison St., Brooklyn, X. Y.

MARY MOORE, 501 Lincoln St., Hibbing, Minn.
HILDA OLSON, E. 12th St., Erie, Pa.

MRS. ARTIE R. KRIBS, New Lathrop, Mich.

Anna Klaholz Mather, 13416 5th Ave. E. Cleveland.

MRS. MAME BRADFORD HAMPTON, Durango, Colo. KATHLEEN HAY, Lyndhurst, S. C.

MRS. G. N. HINDSON, 336 Broadway, Winnepeg, Manitoba.

CLARA L. PENN, Rockford, Ohio.

FLORENCE PEASLEY, R-4, Kenosha, Wis.

P. E. REYNOLDS, 3336 Central Court, Niagara Falls, X. Y.

MABEL L. STRAUB, 1137 Arrot St., Frankford, Philadelphia.

HARRIET L. SHAFTER, 156 Chestnut St., New Bedford, Mass.

GERTRUDE VAUGHAN, Logan, Iowa. JOSEPHINE WEAKLEY, Liberty Centre, Ohio. LOUISE WHITCOMB, 4228 Winnetka St., Dallas, Texas.

MARY YARBROUGH, R. 12, Farmington, Tenn. ANNIE N. PIKE, 141 Bracewell Ave., North Adams, Mase.

MISS ROXIE MARTIN, 2250 Fulton St., Berkeley, Caif.

MRS. HATTIE KNAPP, 470 Hariilton Ave., Aurora, IIL

THURSA WASSON HARGITT, Ploomington, Ind. EDNA GENE MCGEE, 116 East Tenth St., Oklahoma City, Okla.

MARION E. ADLINGTON, Queensboro, New York.
F. G. SANDERS, Oakville, Ont. Can.
J. M. NIVAN, Toronto, Ont.

OLIVE WILI.S, Cheyenne, Wyo.

SUSAN SMEDLEY, 401 So. Church St., West Chester,

TELL YOUR TROUBLES

Every live Kindergartner or Primary Teacher has PROBLEMS to solve. Write to this department and some of our many writers may be able to help you,

SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES

By Clara L. Penn

As a means of training in observation and of cultivating appreciation of Nature's gifts to us, I use songs, verses and stories to suit the weather for our devotional exercises. As the winter cold moderates, and spring signs begin to appear, I teach the verses from the Song of Solomon 2:11-13a, and the songs, "In the Springtime," "The Birdie's Nest," or some other song that contains one or more of Nature's activities in the Spring. For a rainy day I teach "He covereth the heavens with clouds, and prepareth rain for the earth" as a memory verse, and rain songs such as: "Ting-a-ling, Listen While the Raindrops Sing:" first stanza of "Rain and Sun;" "The Rain is Raining All Around" and other rainy day songs. "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun;" and "All Things Bright and Beautiful," the second stanza of "Rain and Sun" and other sunshine songs form a reverent beginning of a sunny day. For frosty days, the memory verse, "He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes;" and for snowy days. "He giveth his snow like wool," used with frost and snow songs help the children to watch for and to enjoy these gifts of Nature.

A MAKE-BELIEVE EXERCISE

By Clara L. Penn

One snowy day when out-door recess was not practical, I suggested that we have a make-believe play, and make imaginary snow-men. The children went to work heartily. and when the snow-people were furnished, each child described his production. Even the timid boys and girls seemed happy to tell how they constructed their snow-images. After the word-pictures were given, the pupils drew on their tablets or the blackboard the pictures of their snowpeople as a means for the school to judge the accuracy of their descriptions.

By LaVerne McClatchie

Draw a big circle on floor for a garden bed, plant imaginary seeds. Children all go to sleep. While children sleep, teacher fills bed with colored balls and beads. Sing "Wake Says the Sunshine." All wake up and each one goes to garden and picks a flower and teacher names it according to color. Smell, and enjoy, and exchange.

O, what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive.

-Sir Walter Scott.

I WANT SOMEONE

By Mildred Miles Roberts

Each row is named a country, as Greenland, England, France, etc. A leader and chaser are chosen by the teacher. The chaser chases the leader who calls out, "I want someone in Greenland (or some other country.) That row, of course, takes notice and looks at the leader who winks at someone in that row. That person must then get up and the chaser chases him while the original leader sits in his seat.

A TRAIN GAME

By Mildred Miles Roberts

On the board in each corner of the room place the name of a well know town or city. Then name each row a different railroad, as the Sante Fe, Burlington etc., or if you prefer, call the rows Train 1, Train 2 etc. One child is a passenger. He stands in front of the room and says, "I want to go on the Burlington (or Train 1 etc.) The children who represent that road stand and say, "Where do you want to go?" He answers, "Chicago" or some other city. As soon as the passenger calls the station, the train moves, that is, all the children in that row run to get to Chicago before the passenger can get on the train, that is, catch one of the "cars." If the passenger catches the train, the first child, or engine of that train is the next passenger and the rest of the children in that row move up a seat.

FRUIT GAME

By LaVerne McClatchie

Have a fruit stand with First Gift Balls representing apples, plums, grapes, oranges, lemons and grape fruit or other kinds which children mention. One child is the fruit man while other children come to buy the fruit. Teaches color in connection with kinds of fruit.

MAY-DAY PARADE CAPES

By Eunice Winn Smith, Independence, Mo. One morning the kindergarten children found a great arm-full of crepe paper strips, three inches wide and fully a yard long, of various colors, which were left in the room, from a party held there the evening before. I gave the material a place in the room and wondered what the children would do with it. These are some of the things they made of it! Paper flowers for their Easter flower-shop. Headbands, crowns, bracelets, sashes, epauletts shoelacings and rosettes, when they dramatized or dressed up. Perhaps the best things they made were capes for the May Day parade. They used two strips of different colors, pasted tagether for strength, for the collar of the cape. To this they fastened streamers in various designs. These floated out behind them in the parade, and made it gay and colorful. Bits of the crepe paper also trimmed their caps and hung from their banners. Altogether it was a most useful bit of material.

Dear "Help Each Other" Members:

I am accepting your invitation to tell one's troubles to your department, for I have a problem which puzzles me a great deal. I have in my older kindergarten section, three little boys who quite frequently talk about drinking and selling moonshine. Evidently their parents make, sell, and drink it, so it is only natural that these children talk about it, in rather a boastful way.

Now, what can I say to these little lads, who look up to their fathers, as the best in the world? I cannot say that their fathers are law-breakers and that they should be arrested. And simply saying that it is harmful for anyone, especially little children, to drink moonshine, does not make much of an impression on them.

So, if anyone can tell me how to solve this problem, I shall be very thankful.

The teacher designated certain parts of the room as, circus, Chicago Park, Movies, etc. As many of these names as are needed should be written above the designated places. The children choose or teacher assigns a partner for each. Each couple then choose a place to go and as soon as they have decided they form in line to start their journey. The teacher then asks the first couple, "where are you going?" The child on the right side makes answer by saying, "Mary and I are going to the circus." The teacher asks all couples where they are going and the right partner responds in similar manner until all have gone to their places.

Once more they form in line to return. This time the teacher's question is, "Where did you and John go?" The left child will reply, "John and I went to the circus or moving pictures as will probably be the case, the teacher should give the merits of the church, lake, river, etc.

I find that the teacher in the rural school with many grades must provide a considerable amount of busy work for her first grade. This is not always an easy task.

Of course all children like to make pictures. So I place easy sentences on the board such as, I can see the apple, pear or bird. The children copy the sen tences substituting pictures for underlined words.

For a third grade I put such words as island, peninsula, river, delta, lake etc on the board. They make pictures illustrating each word. This corre lates well with the geography work,

MAKING A FEBRUARY BOOKLET

By Hazel Bennett, Cato, N. Y.

My pupils are enjoying the work of making a February booklet. First we used red construction paper for a cover and cut soldiers from black paper and letter (F. E. B.) which we used on the red cover. Within the cover we placed white drawing paper for pages. On the first page we put log cabins

and the words Feb. 12. On the opposite page we put Lincoln's picture and the word Lincoln in black letters. Next came our valentine with word and date cut in black.

Then the cherries and hatchet with the (Feb. 22) cut from black and on the opposite page Washington's picture.

Next we wrote the allegiance to our flag and some Lincoln and Washington quotations.

SILENT READING

By Hazel Bennett, Cato, N. Y.

I give to my pupils short stories to be read when their assigned lesson is done. They like to copy these and paste pictures in place of words. For instance, this month I gave them stories of Lincoln and Washington and it began like this: "Lincoln was a poor boy." In place of the word boy they pasted a picture of a boy which they had cut out. "He lived in a log cabin," when they came to the cabin they sketched a cabin with their led pencils.

This became more interesting to the children and they certainly clearly got the idea from the printed page.

THE SWIM

Anna M. Movius, Lidgerwood, N. D.
"Quack, Quack," said the little ducks
"Dear me how dry,"

No swimming around here, and no use to try
To find a good pool, not in a whole mile,

For Mamma Hen follows, to watch all the while
"Be careful "she says, "Don't get your feet wet,"
She never went swimming, now who is to blame.
Now wouldn't that put any duck in a pet,
She don't understand us, poor dear what a shame
"What's that you say? The rain pipe overflows
O let us chase down there, and dip in our toes.
Hurrah; What a good time for ten little ducks
They swim and they sputter, while Mamma Hen
clucks.

113

MY LITTLE STRANGER FRIENDS

By Mary A. Harper, Lindhurst S. C.

I know them by their faces,

I see them every day.

And though we're quite familiar Their names I cannot say. They're standing by the road side And near the meadow brook.

I see their little faces,

So bright and gay and sweet:
While rambling in the wild wood
In search of new delights.

I see them standing bowing,
They're always so polite.

Some stand with caps quite lifted,
While others hold them tight;
Some golden curls are tossing
In bright and buoyant youth.
While others lowly bending,
In humble servile mein,

As subjects paying homage
As to their fairy queen.
Oh, how I wish I knew them,
My little stranger friends:
Then in the wild wood with me,
Come let us learn their names.

PAINTING APRONS

By Eunice Winn Smith, Independence, Mo. The first day the children in my kindergarten used their water colors they found a need for aprons. Some of the girls suggested bringing them from home; but some of the boys had no aprons, so we decided to make painting aprons for all, and keep them at the kindergarten. The children experimented for two days and at last evolved a simple pattern. This pattern was copied for each child. I bought red, yellow, orange, green, blue and violet cambic, using three-fourths of a yard for each apron. The children pinned the patterns, with a little help, cut the aprons and sewed a strap to go around the neck, and two strings to tie at the waist. These aprons are donned when a child paints or uses clay, and protects the clothing.

VALENTINES FOR THE ABSENT

By Eunice Winn Smith, Independence, Mo. In the autumn, soon after kindergarten opened, I took several pictures of my entire class. When Valentine making time came, we remembered children who were ill or out of town. I produced the pictures, the children made pretty mountings in valentine style; also made envelopes to fit, and composed messages to each child. These messages I typed, and they were pasted on the valentines, which we stamped, and gave to the postman; who delivered them on valentine day, to the joy of the tiny recipients, who were missing their little playmates and their kindergarten.

A GIFT FOR MOTHER'S DAY

By Eunice Winn Smith, Independence, Mo. Early in April the children in my kindergarten made an outdoor garden, planting cypress seeds (other plants will do as well.) About the same time I began giving them definite work with clay with the purpose that they acquire a degree of skill. A week before Mother's Day, we talked about the day, and decided to each make a flower-pot of clay and take mother one of our pretty little plants. We made very goodlooking, well-shaped pots, which we painted with water colors and afterwards shellaced. In these we transplanted the dainty cypress plants, wrapped them in tissue paper and carried them home to the mothers, who were delighted with the gifts.

DISHES FOR THE PLAY-HOUSE

By Eunice Winn Smith, Independence, Mo. The housekeepers in my kindergarten were always needing more dishes. At last we learned to make dishes of clay. These assumed all sorts of designs. We dried them and painted with white enamel, which covered their defects and made them more durable; also satisfied the housekeepers. It gave enjoyable work for the manufacturers, who supplied a retail dish store, which furnished them to the house-keepers. The project covered a good many happy busy days.

Sang the kindergarten children. But little Mary did not sing. She had something wonderful to tell her teacher.

"We have a cow," she burst out, "she is my cow; she gives us milk to drink. We call her Bossy Cow. "I've seen Mary's cow," boasted Johnie, "I gave her grass and hay to eat."

"I've seen her too," said Madeline, "I'm not afraid of Bossy Cow; she lets me touch her."

"We want to see Mary's cow," cried the other little tots.

"We will all go over and see Bossy Cow," announced the kindergarten teacher. "Mary's home is just a block from here." All hurried out of the building. It was a beautiful spring morning. The sun shone brightly; there was not a cloud to be seen in the deep blue sky. The children hopped and skipped in glee.

"Here we are," said their teacher. Up the driveway they went and stopped a minute at the Rabbit a bit of pepper grass.

The Bossy Cow was in the lot near the Rabbit Hutch. Johnie ran to open the gate and there stood Bossy Cow. Such a chatter, chatter.

"Pretty Moo Cow, pretty Bossy Cow," all cried. But Bossy Cow never moved; she just looked at the children with her big kindly eyes and went on chewing her cud.

"What is she chewing?" asked Johnie, "she hasn't anything to eat."

"She is chewing her cud," replied the teacher. "A cow has two stomachs. She is rather a greedy animal and eats her food very hurriedly and this all goes to her first stomach. When she has eaten all that has been given her, part of the food will come up in her mouth and she will chew it very fine and swallow it again; this goes down into her second stomach. Then some more food will come up and she chews that very fine swallows it and it goes to her second stomach. She does this until all the food is chewed up fine. This is what is called chewing the

cud.

"I'm going to tell mother about it," declared Madeline.

"I, too," said Jonnie.

"I, too," echoed all the other little tots. "We must go back now," said their teacher. "Moo! moo!" called Bossy Cow as the children started back to the school building.

"She is telling us goodbye," said little Mary, her brown curls bobbing up and down as she skipped down the driveway.

"Goodbye, goodbye," the children called, "we hope we can come to see you again."

But the Bossy Cow just went on chewing her cud.