There was a little pen near the brook. The men drove the sheep into this pen and shut them in. One man waded out into the brook. "All ready," he said. Then another man opened the gate of the pen. He drove one sheep out and into the water. The man in the brook caught it. He held it between his knees in the water. He washed the wool and squeezed it in his hands. He pulled out burrs and straws and sticks from the wool. When the man thought the sheep was clean, he let it go. The man in the pen sent out another sheep into the water. Soon the sheep were all washed and were running about in the woods. We children liked that time best. What a noise! What a running-about! Mothers had lost their lambs, and lambs had lost their mothers. They ran about the woods bleating to call each other. When they met they were very happy. The mothers rubbed the little ones with their noses. The lambs danced around their mothers. It was a very pretty sight. We children laughed with joy. After some days, the sheep's wool was dry. The boys swept the barn floor clean. They drove all the sheep into the front barn-yard. It was clean there. Father took down the sheep-shears from the shed and went to the barn. "Come on," he called when he was ready. The boys drove a sheep into the barn. Then it had to lie quiet on the floor. "Clip, clip," went the shears. The thick wool began to roll off. It was matted together. So it came off in one piece. It looked like a whole skin, as it lay on the floor. Father untied the sheep's legs. It ran out into the other barn-yard, baaing for its friends. The boys drove another one in. Off came his wool. The sheared sheep looked very funny. Their legs were like little sticks. Their pink skin showed through their short hair. My father looked at the pile of wool in the barn. "Well," he said, "that will make us all the clothes we need. "I think we shall have some to sell." THE SHEEP "Lazy sheep, pray tell me why "Nay, my little master, nay, Don't you see the wool that grows "Sure it seems a pleasant thing Or pick a scanty dinner where "Then the farmer comes at last, In the grassy fields I lie." -ANN TAYLOR. UP! UP! YE DAMES AND LASSES GAY! Up! Up! ye danes and lasses gay! 'Tis you must tend the flocks this morn, And scare the small birds from the corn, Not a soul at home may stay; For the shepherds must go With lance and bow To hunt the wolf in the woods today. Leave the hearth and leave the house Find grannam out a sunny seat, For the shepherds must go To hunt the wolf in the woods today. -S. T. COLERIDGE. SHEPHERD PICTURES Shepherds on the hillside, playing pipes, And making up tunes on your pipes. Looking at the craggy mountain-side And looking at the moon among the clouds- KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY GAMES ANNE ELIZABETH ALLEN University Elementary School Until the effort is made one can never know the difficulty of the task of trying to write out children's games. The baldness and bareness of mere words, minus the music, the charming. unconscious action of the children, and the thousand subtilties that add to the rounding-out of a game, tempt one, even after putting his hand to the plow, to turn back. Besides, one never plays a game exactly the same the second time. Different children, different days, different conditions in many ways, combine to make changes to "fit." Hence only an artist could put before a reader an adequate description of many of the games that grow directly out of the work in hand. The introduction of a new game is an art, a fine art built upon long experience. To make it go, it must take hold of the children's interest in a practical way. The leader must know where to turn for help among the children who have strength in taking the initiative and whose interest will at once become active. Again, the leader must be able at a moment's notice to change her plan or modify it according to the suggestions of the children. By dramatizing the industrial life around us we are soon able to select the dramatic incidents in a story, and "act them out"-mostly in pantomime, to be sure, but in a way most satisfactory and pleasing to the children. From time to time I hope to make the attempt to put before the readers of this magazine some of the plays and games as we have played them in our kindergarten, asking always leniency for the manner and style of the bare outlines I am forced to give. GAME I CLOUDS AND RAIN Time: A cloudy, rainy day. Music: "Plump Little Baby Clouds," from Primary and Kindergarten |