e.

(2) The Activity of the children.

The increased mental ability will permit interesting exercises to take
the place of some of the physical outlets for activity necessary in the
preceding period, but they must be brief and compelling in their
attractiveness.

The use of motion songs is outgrown, especially with boys. During many
years there has remained in memory the expression in the face of a boy,
head and shoulders taller than any other child in the primary
department, as he stood pointing to pedal extremities, not less than
number fours, and singing, "Little feet, be very careful where you take
me to." The sentiment could not possibly have been wrung from him had
not the superintendent been his mother.

Hand work suggestive of the lesson, such as pasting, coloring, tearing,
cutting and simplest writing for the older ones, is growing in favor as
a means of utilizing the activity and impressing the lesson. An outline
of the methods of this work is impossible here, but three words of
caution must be spoken.

First: Choose the time for hand work carefully.

While it will give wise outlet for activity and aid memory, if used in
the wrong place it will tend to dissipate the influence of the lesson.
Even the pasting of a picture when the feelings are deeply stirred could
give them sufficient expression so that they would be satisfied without
further action. They ought to impel to imitation of the action in the
story with all the intensity that has been aroused, instead of being
expended in a mechanical way. In view of this fact, the proper subject
of the hand work would seem to be the lesson of the week preceding, and
the best time for it, just prior to the beginning of the session, if
that be of the usual hour length. This time is practicable even where
the session immediately follows the church service, and it has three
advantages. It will counteract lack of punctuality, will utilize
activity at its most disastrous stage--the unoccupied minutes before the
program proper begins--and will not crowd out from the hour any other
training equally important.

Second: Remember that valuable as the hand work is in clarifying and
impressing the lesson, it is only a shell containing the truth.
Therefore, a teacher who occupies a large part of the hour in this way
is not giving the child sufficient spiritual nourishment.

Third: This work must be raised above the level of similar week-day
occupations.

This may be do