Publisher's Synopsis
An excerpt from the beginning of the first chapter:
September - First Year - First Week
Monday
Show the children a sunflower. What is it? Who can think of another flower of the same color? (Nasturtium, goldenrod, dandelion, buttercup, etc.) Who can think of a flower that is blue? (Hyacinth, bachelor's button, flower de luce, etc.) Who can think of a flower that is red? (Rose, carnation, geranium, poppy, etc.) Have each child name some flower that he likes.
Tuesday
Allow the children to play "Hey, diddle, diddle." One child is the cat, another a fiddle, a third the dish, others the spoon, the little dog, the cow and the moon. All the rest of the children repeat, very slowly:
Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle.
As the two lines are being recited, the children representing the cat and the fiddle stand up at their seats and bow. As the words,
The cow jumped over the moon,
are recited, the child representing the moon, stooping down, holds out a round piece of pasteboard, a piece of paper, or anything else that happens to be handy, even a book will serve, and the "cow," steps or jumps over it.
At the words,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
the little dog laughs. At
The dish ran away with the spoon,
the two children representing dish and spoon take hold of hands and run across the room.
Then other children may be selected for the various parts, and the game may be played thus again and again. Wednesday
Have the children practice writing their names, and if possible, their home addresses.
Thursday
What kind of a day is it, sunny or stormy? What color is sunshine? Point to the sun. What color are storm clouds? How does the rain come down? What does the sunshine do for the trees and flowers? What does the rain do for the trees and flowers? What does the rain do for us?
Friday
Have the children name all the objects they can see in the school-room.