Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Household Science in Rural Schools Part 7

_Perennials._--Bleeding-heart, carnations, chrysanthemums, columbine, coreopsis, dahlias, gaillardias, golden glow, iris, larkspur, oriental poppies, peonies, phlox, pinks, platycodon, snapdragon.

_Biennials._--Forget-me-not, foxglove, Canterbury bells, hollyhock, sweet-william, wallflower.

_Annuals._--African daisy, ageratum, aster, calendula, calliopsis, balsam, candytuft, cornflower, cosmos, marigold, mignonette, nasturtium, petunia, poppy, stock, sweet alyssum, sweet-pea, verbena, zinnia, annual phlox, red sunflower, cut-and-come-again sunflower.

Each home gardener should study garden literature, in order to a.s.sist in solving the garden problems; for the day has pa.s.sed when one needed only to scratch the soil with a sh.e.l.l, plant the seeds, and receive an abundant crop. Today successful gardening depends upon intelligent management of the soil and crop and upon persistent labour.

PRELIMINARY PLAN

The teacher should, if possible, visit the homes of all the pupils, in order to make herself familiar with the condition in which their grounds are kept. She may be able to secure permission from one of the housekeepers to use her grounds as the practice place for the lesson, or it may be more desirable to give this lesson at the school and to conduct a school garden as a model home garden.

METHOD OF WORK

Discuss the arrangement and care of the home or school grounds. Have the cla.s.s tidy the lawn and garden chosen for the lesson, supervising the work carefully. a.s.sign the tidying up of the home lawns or work in the home gardens for the coming week. Let this lesson serve as a means of interesting the pupils in home gardening, if that has not already been taken up, or of emphasizing the relation of gardening to the housekeeper's work, if they are already interested in the former.

REFERENCE BOOKS

_Bush Fruits._ Card. Macmillan's, Toronto $1.75

_When Mother Lets Us Garden._ Duncan. Moffat, Yard & Co., New York .75

_A Woman's Hardy Garden._ Ely. Macmillan's, Toronto 1.75

_The Beginner's Garden Book._ French. Macmillan's, Toronto 1.00

_Productive Vegetable Garden._ Lloyd. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia 1.50

TWENTY LESSONS IN COOKING

SUGGESTIONS TO THE TEACHER

The teacher should learn how the pupils live in their own homes, what food produce is grown for home use, what foods they use, and how they prepare and serve their foods. The instruction given in the lessons should be based on this knowledge, and the possibilities for the improvement of accepted methods of cooking should be considered. Those foods should be used in the recipes which the pupils can afford to use at home. They should be encouraged to grow in their gardens a variety of garden produce, and to keep chickens, pigs, and cows.

Elementary principles of nutrition and sanitation should be taught.

Simple meals, with plain but well-cooked dishes, should be planned.

Variations should be suggested, and the value of a mixed diet emphasized. Care should be taken not to waste time on points that are unrelated to the homes of the pupils, except as such points may be necessary to raise their ideals.

All the work should be done carefully. The sanitary handling of food and care in the storage of foods should be insisted upon. Careful attention should be given to the dish-was.h.i.+ng, care of the dish-towels, etc., emphasizing the points in sanitation involved. The pupils should be drilled faithfully in all points connected with the handling of anything that comes in contact with the food.

Proper methods of sweeping and cleaning should be employed, and thoroughness must be practised in every detail of the work. Constant drill in these processes should be given.

The order in which the lessons are to be given will be regulated, in part, by the season of the year in which they occur, the locality, the foods obtainable, and any special local needs. However, care must be taken that the lessons are given in proper sequence, so that the pupils may see the relation of one to another and may appreciate the value of each. It may be necessary to combine two lessons or to give only part of a lesson. In some of the lessons more recipes are suggested than can be prepared in a brief period. In every case the choice of a recipe will have to be made by the teacher. Wherever it is possible, simple experiments should be performed to show the composition of, and the effect of heat on, food.

No attempt has been made to give a complete set of recipes; but those included here are chosen as ill.u.s.trating the subjects to be discussed in the lessons. The teacher who desires to make use of a greater number of recipes will do well to supply herself with one of the text-books listed. Level measurements should be used in the preparation of all the recipes, and all the directions should be carefully followed.

The first few lessons are more fully outlined than the others, furnis.h.i.+ng suggestions for methods of procedure that may be adapted to later lessons. The teacher should have a detailed plan for every lesson, outlining her method of work, the leading questions for the discussion, and the home a.s.signments which she desires to make.

Foods that are in common use are suggested for the lessons outlined.

There will necessarily be exceptions to their use in different localities. If any foods used in the homes are harmful because of the manner in which they are prepared, the teacher should do all in her power to correct the situation, but she must, at the same time, be careful not to be too radical. If the lessons given are not followed by home practice, the time devoted to them will be, to all intents and purposes, wasted. Simple meal service should be introduced wherever it is possible, and as much instruction on the furnis.h.i.+ng and the care of the kitchen should be included as time permits.

By the time the course is completed, the pupil should be able to keep her kitchen in a sanitary condition and should have a sufficient knowledge of food values and of the processes of cooking to enable her to provide simple, wholesome meals for her family.

For the teaching of food values, it will be helpful to secure the set of sixteen food charts which may be obtained from the Superintendent of Doc.u.ments, Government Printing Office, Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., price one dollar.

It will be shown later how the school luncheon may be managed with very little interference with the ordinary organization of the school. Where definite instruction is given in Household Science, a place must be provided for it on the school time-table, as is the case with the other school subjects. In sewing and household management lessons of forty minutes each are sufficient, and these can be arranged for at the times found to be most convenient. If each pupil keeps her sewing in a box or bag, it may often be used as "busy work" when the pupil has finished her a.s.signed work or while she is waiting for the teacher, who may be engaged with another cla.s.s. Lessons in cookery should be, if possible, at least one hour in length, and should be given at a time when this period can be exceeded, if the character of the lesson renders it desirable; for example, in those cases where the cooking is not completed at the expiration of the time a.s.signed. For this reason the last hour on Friday afternoon has proved a very suitable time. In some schools the lesson is commenced at half-past three and runs on until completed, and in this way only half an hour of the regular school time is taken. The possibilities of a Sat.u.r.day morning cooking cla.s.s should not be overlooked.

ABBREVIATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS

tbsp. = tablespoonful tsp. = teaspoonful c. = cupful qt. = quart pt. = pint oz. = ounce lb. = pound min. = minute hr. = hour

TABLE OF LEVEL MEASUREMENTS

3 tsp. = 1 tbsp.

16 tbsp. = 1 c. (dry measure) 12 tbsp. (liquid) = 1 c.

2 c. = 1 pt.

COMPARISONS BETWEEN WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

2 c. b.u.t.ter, packed solidly = 1 lb.

2 c. sugar (granulated) = 1 lb.

2 c. meat, finely chopped = 1 lb.

2-2/3 c. brown sugar = 1 lb.

2-2/3 c. oatmeal = 1 lb.

4-3/4 c. rolled oats = 1 lb.

4 c. flour = 1 lb.

2 tbsp. b.u.t.ter = 1 oz.

4 tbsp. flour = 1 oz.

9 or 10 eggs = 1 lb.

1 lemon (juice) = 3 tbsp.

_Note._--The half-pint measuring cup and not the ordinary tea cup is the one to be used.

REFERENCE BOOKS

_Household Management._ Ontario Teachers' Manual. The Copp, Clark Co., Ltd., Toronto $0.19

_Domestic Science._ Austin, B. J. Lyons & Carnahan, Chicago. Vol. I .60 Vol. II .60