Little Journey to Puerto Rico Part 12

A _Botanist_ may tell us of native plants, useful or ornamental, and show pictures of these if possible. A _Zoologist_ tells of the native animals, their habits and uses.

The geographer, geologist, botanist, and zoologist direct the work at the sand table, and a.s.sist in reproducing the country in miniature.

The _Merchants_ and _Tradesmen_ tell us of the products for which their country is noted, and show samples of as many as it is possible to secure. They also tell what they import, and why.

A _Librarian_ or Correspondent may visit the library for information sought by the club. He must be able to give a list of books of travel, and be ready to read or quote extracts referring to the places visited on the tour.

He or his a.s.sistant may also clip all articles of interest from papers, magazines, and other sources, and arrange these, as well as the articles secured by other pupils, in a sc.r.a.pbook, devoted to each country.

The _Artist_ and his a.s.sistant may tell us about the famous artists and their works, if any. He may ill.u.s.trate his remarks with pictures, if he can obtain or make them.

The _Club Artist_ may also place upon the board in colored crayons the flag, the coat of arms, and the national flower of the country.

A _Photographer_ may be appointed to provide or care for the photographs and pictures used in the cla.s.s talks. The photographs may often be borrowed from tourists or others. Pictures may be obtained from magazines, railroad pamphlets, the ill.u.s.trated papers, or from the Perry Pictures, and mounted on cardboard or arranged by the artist in a sc.r.a.pbook with the name of the country on the cover.

If the members of the travel or geography cla.s.s are not provided with the "LITTLE JOURNEYS," the teacher should have at least two copies. The pictures from one of these books should be removed and mounted for cla.s.s use. They may be mounted on a screen, or on cardboard, and placed about the room or grouped in a corner. They should be allowed to remain there during the month, that all the pupils may have an opportunity to examine them.

Another pupil may collect curiosities. Many families in each neighborhood will be able to contribute some curio. Pupils in other rooms in the building will be interested in collecting and loaning material for this little museum and picture gallery.

Coins and stamps may be placed with this collection. Begin a stamp alb.u.m, and collect the stamps of all the countries studied. The stamps of many countries show the heads of the rulers. One of the most attractive of these is the United States postage stamp showing "Columbus in Sight of Land."

The alb.u.m should be kept on the reading table with the sc.r.a.pbooks, in order that pupils may have access to it during their periods of leisure.

Dolls may be dressed in the national costume or to represent historical personages.

This form of construction work may be done outside of school hours by pupils under the direction of the historian and artist. The dolls, when dressed, may be made the centers of court, home, field or forest scenes arranged on the sand table.

A _Musician_ or musicians may tell us of the characteristic music of the country, and of famous singers or composers. She may also sing or play the national song or air of the country, if there be one.

The singer should be dressed in national costume, if it is possible to secure it, or to make it out of calico, paper, or some other cheap material.

A _Man of Letters_ may tell of the famous men and women of the country through which we are traveling, and may visit their homes with us. He may call attention to the literature of the people and give selections from noted writers, from or about the places visited.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRIP.

With maps, guide-books, time-tables and notebooks before us, we look up the steamer lines and routes and decide when, where, and how to go.

(Good maps will be found in the railroad guide-books).

City newspapers publish once a week the lines of steamboats and their times of sailing. The steamboat agents also furnish advertising matter giving other necessary and interesting information.

When we have decided upon our route, we telegraph ahead for our staterooms. Now let us plan for our baggage. What kind of a trunk must we take? Why a steamer trunk? How large must this be? What will we do with this trunk when we leave the boat? (We are advised to leave it and part of its contents at the s.h.i.+p company's office. They will store it until we are ready to take the return trip). How many pounds of baggage are we allowed on the steamer?

What other baggage shall we take (hand bags)? Why not small trunks?

(Because every pound of baggage must be paid for in some countries.) Many countries have not our convenient system of checking baggage. What else will we need? (Traveling rugs.)

What clothes must we take? First, we must take warm clothes for steamer wear, which may be packed away when we arrive. Then we must take traveling suits for train wear, and thin clothing to use after arriving at our destination.

We have promised friends at home that we will inform them of our safe arrival immediately. How can we do this? By mail? Is there not a quicker way? How many know of the cable? How many have ever sent a cablegram?

Can we cable from Puerto Rico? How much will it cost? Our guide-books give us all this information.

We must have guide-books, phrase books, toilet articles and writing materials. These should be packed in linen or canvas bags, because more easily carried about than heavy leather satchels.

Our guide must be able to speak Spanish, for that is the language of the Puerto Rican people.

If one of our party acts as guide, we must be careful to select a polite, tactful, and, above all, a patient and good-natured person.

Why?--Because his patience will be severely taxed many times during this trip.

Arriving at the city from which we are to sail, we visit points of interest, the docks especially, and compare our steamer with others, learning what we can about all the s.h.i.+ps in the harbor.

If our lesson is well planned, we can accomplish a great deal the day we sail.

CLa.s.s WORK.

After two or three conversational lessons, let pupils begin their diaries (composition books). In these may be written descriptions of what they see, hear, or read about the place being studied or visited.

In most schools will be found one or more pupils who have been upon or crossed the ocean. Let them give both oral and written descriptions of the voyage.

In giving accounts of these journeys, have pupils describe the incidents and details of everyday life on s.h.i.+p-board. They may tell of the s.h.i.+p, its furnis.h.i.+ngs, rigging, engines, officers and crew.

Let them also describe the dining room, the meals, and the manner of serving.

They may further describe a stateroom or berth, and picture their fellow pa.s.sengers in words or drawings.

It will greatly cultivate their power of expression to tell how the time on board the vessel was pa.s.sed, and to narrate any interesting occurrences of the voyage. They may describe the ocean by day and by night; also its appearance in a storm.

Many will be interested in descriptions of the birds that were met and of the fishes that swarmed about the s.h.i.+p.

If time will not permit each pupil to give oral descriptions or to write compositions on each topic, a.s.sign a different topic to each pupil. Bind all papers together, when finished, to keep with sc.r.a.p-books devoted to the country visited.

These diaries or reproduction stories may be ill.u.s.trated with pictures clipped from ill.u.s.trated papers and other sources or by original drawings.

Try to secure specimens of seaweed to be exhibited to pupils during the lesson on the sea voyage. Ask pupils to secure ocean sh.e.l.ls, sponges, pictures of sea birds, and specimens or pictures of other animal and plant life in the ocean.

AFTERNOONS ABROAD.

At the conclusion of the study of a country, a topic may be a.s.signed to each pupil, or selected by him. With this topic he is to become thoroughly familiar.

In place of the old-time review, invitations may be issued by the pupils, and the results of the month's work be summed up in the form of an entertainment, called--

AFTERNOONS OR EVENINGS ABROAD.

When a cla.s.s, club, or school has been studying a country, the work may be brought to a close in a way that pupils and their parents and friends will enjoy and remember, by giving _An Afternoon or Evening Abroad_.

This form of geography review would be appreciated more particularly in villages, or in country districts, where entertainments, books, pictures, and opportunities for study and social intercourse are rarer than in cities.

At the conclusion of an afternoon talk or entertainment, any pictures used may be placed on the chalk tray along the blackboard, that visitors may examine them more closely.

If the entertainment is given in the evening, the teacher may be able to use stereopticon views.