Excursions and lessons in home geography

Front matter

EXCURSIO

IN HOME GEOGRAPHI

A/c MURRY

Preface

It is customar}^ in some schools to make excursions with children to study the geography of the home neighborhood.

The series of excursions described in this book furnishes a variety of illustrations in different localities of such trips with children. They are such excursions as are usually taken with classes in the third or the fourth grade. But while it may be well to emphasize the geographical excursion in these grades just beginning the study, an occasional excursion would not be out of place with children in any grade below the high school. In fact, some of the trips described were taken with grammar school classes.

A few of these topics, like that of gravel roads, may be discussed without an excursion, but in most of them the excursion w^ould be a real help.

In this book our purpose has been to give the subject-matter rather than the method of managing the excursion, though occasionally hints are given on method.

VI PREFACE

The "Special Methotl in Geography," published by The Maemillan (Jompaiiy, has a somewhat full treatment of this whole subject of excursions and of the method of handling them.

In Ihe present volume, illustrations of excursions in man}^ different localities are given so as to show the varied scope of such work as adapted to different places.

Most of these lessons are illustrations or types of similar things found in other parts of our country. It is believed that twenty or more good topics having strong resemblance to those treated in this book can be selected in nearly every community.

It is not the purpose of this book to lay out any narrow method or any fixed body of topics, but rather to suggest variety and originality on the teacher's part. The great object of such observational study is to open the eyes of both teacher and pupil to the physical and industrial world in close proximity to them, and to find in these instructive things the simple and fundamental problems of life.

A teacher well acciuainted through experience with this local material is in many respects well qualified for teaching geography.

Palatka, Florida, February 15, 1904.

Chapter I

Excursion to the Normal School Tower View from the Bluffs at Winona, Minnesota Steamboat Trip to Taughannock Falls Sea Bathing on the East Coast of Florida =.

Denver, Colorado

View from Wheeling Hill

An Excursion to Coney Island . . . , The Creek and Pond ......

The Valley and Rock Strata at Faribault, Minnesota Visit to a City Park ......

1 5 9 19 25 32 40 46 48 50

CHAPTER II Excursions to observe House Building . . = . . 51

Excursion to a Blacksmith Shop ....... 55

The Planing-mill at Ithaca, New York 57

The Cypress Sawmill at Palatka, Florida 63

The Warwick Pottery at Wheeling ...... 72

The Akron Belting Company . . . . . . =. 79

Outlines for the Treatment of Other Shops and Factories :

A Cooper Shop . o . <. . . » . . 83

VIU

CONTENTS

A Carpet Weaver A Stone Quarry A Brick-yard .

A Fruit Store A Grocery Store A Bakery A Shoemaker .

A Tin Shop .

A Tannery A Shoe Factory A Mill and Mill-race A Woollen Mill .

A Printing-office A Canning Factory A Furniture Factory A Department Store A Machine Shop

PAGB

83 83 84 85 86

CHAPTER III Visit to a Three-masted Schooner

Crawfordsville, Indiana, as a Centre for the Free Gravel Road

The Knoxville Bridge, Tennessee

Trip to Tower of Montgomery Ward Building in Chicago Other Commercial Topics Outlined :

The Local Town or Village as a Trade Centre

A Freight Office or Station . . , .

A Grain Elevator

A City Market

Visit to a River Steamer or Ocean Liner

114 114 114 115 115

CONTENTS

IX

A Caiial-boat and Canal-lock A Visit to the Shipping Docks A Ferry-boat Ride at New York The Brooklyn Bridge A Trip on the Elevated Road

PAGE

115 117 117 117 118

CHAPTER IV Gardex, Fakm, and Dairy

Excursion to a Nursery ....

The H. B. Gurler Dairy, De Kalb, Illinois . Excursion to the Creamery at Cornell, Ithaca, N Local Study of Soils .....

Irrigation and Farming about San Antonio Other Topics outlined for the Garden, Farm, an Trips to the Garden in Spring and Fall Trip to the Farm. Grain-raising. Stock

The Hothouse

The Orchard . '

CHAPTER V Local Town Government and the Court-house

. 143

Springfield, Illinois ,

Outline :

The City Hall and Officers .....

. 151

The Fire Department . . . . , .

. 151

The Waterworks = .

. 151

The Gas-works .......

. 151

The City Schools .......

. 152

EXCURSIONS AND LESSONS

IN

HOME GEOGRAPHY

EXCURSIONS AND LESSONS IN HOME GEOGRAPHY