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[The scholarship-examination questions for 1892 will be set on these programmes, and candidates from schools with less than one hundred in average attendance will not be expected to answer the appended questions on the parts outside the reduced programme for small schools. It will be possible for them to obtain high marks for answers to the questions set on the shorter programme.]

KINDEBGAETEN WOBK. The following suggestions have been kindly supplied by Mrs. Francis, Head Mistress of the Mount Cook Infants' School :— Suggestions and Hints in giving Lessons on (1) Paper plaiting , (2) Clay modelling , (3) Stick-building, (4) Bead-threading. These lessons are most useful to encourage the inventive faculties of our little folks, and to teach their hands to do what their eyes see. They are also a great aid to discipline, as each child must attend practically to its own work. These are essentially quiet lessons, except when the teacher allows the singing of some well-known song. These lessons can be given on desks or on a gallery with slates on the children's laps. If a kindergarten table is used, a tressel table is most convenient, as it can be put away when not required. The tressels should be 2ft. in height. The table-tops (square or oblong to suit the space available in the school-room) should be painted in lines round the edges, forming 12in. squares, one child being placed opposite each square, with the arms folded in front (for all kindergarten lessons) In small schools these lessons will be invaluable in giving work to the lower classes while the teacher is occupied with other lessons. Lesson I. — Paper-plaiting for Upper Class in Infant School. Thirty minutes or longer. The mats with strips (ready cut) should be put in separate envelopes with the child's name written on the outside corner These envelopes can be made by the teacher with stiff paper and paste. When a child leaves the class, a mark is put through the name, and another name is substituted. Envelopes then last, with care, for years. At the word one, the children place their envelopes on their left side with the opening towards them. At the word two, the mat and one strip only is taken out. At the word three, the needle is taken in the left hand, the spring pressed open and the strip put in. If the teacher has a weaver provided, the class repeat together as she places the lathes in the webbing, e.g., " Under one, over one, under three," &c, till the pattern is complete on the weaver If no webbed frame (or weaver) is supplied, then the teacher must plait a mat before her class instead of on the weaver. The mats when finished may be used again and again by simply drawing out the strips. Lesson II. — Clay-modelling for Upper Class in Infant School. Thirty minutes or longer. Each child is provided with board, tools, and piece of clay Hands are kept clasped (to prevent soiling clothes) while watching teacher make the model. Teacher puts model of sphere before the class, and proceeds to roll the clay into a like form. When she has finished, at the word one the children take up their clay and copy Teacher shows and explains, round, solid, &c. Teacher puts thumb into sphere, making a hollow cap, cup, nest, &c. Next lesson the teacher shows model of cube, explains six sides, eight angles, then makes a sphere of clay, and pats six sides, till edges and angles are sharp. A cylinder (long, round, and flat ends) is then formed, and from it a prism may be formed. Cylinder then pointed to form cone, patted to form pyramid. By patting is meant flapping the clay on the board to make a smooth flat surface. At times the children should be allowed to form any shape they please instead of imitating the teacher Such forms as fruit, carrots, turnips, jars, can easily be put up for models when the children have mastered the geometrical forms. [Por method of keeping clay and suggestions in clay-impressions upon slates, &c, see drawing syllabus, infant class. Por geometric models, the teacher can use the drawing models already supplied to most of the schools.] Lesson 111. — Stick-building for Middle Classes Twenty to thirty minutes. The teacher will be supplied with bundles of sticks and boxes of joints. Similar sticks may often be obtained by unravelling Chinese mats and from rushes or grasses. Small boxes should be provided (tin match-boxes brought by the children are suitable) The sticks should be cut into lengths to suit boxes, and a few of each kind of tubes put with them. The teacher forms models in front of class, as per diagram, explaining a horizontal stick joined to a vertical stick by a joint forms a right-angle, &c. This occupation is a valuable aid to first lessons in drawing. Letters also may be made. Thus, vertical |, horizontal |_, till E i s formed, two oblique \/, four oblique \/V, &c. The lowest classes do stick-laying only, for which the reeds of the toi-toi will be found useful. Lesson IV. — Bead-threading for Lower Classes. Fifteen to twenty minutes. Teacher prepares this lesson by stringing twenty different coloured beads on double unbleached thread 12in. long, knotted at intervals to prevent twisting. Thread is preferable to string, as it never frays. One bead is tied permanently to one end of the thread , the remaining nineteen are then strung on loosely and put into a box (same as used in stick-building). Children stand

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