Autumn Leaves in the Schoolroom by Vina M. Sherwood

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Oct 4, 1906

Autumn Leaves in the Schoolroom

By Vina M. Sherwood

October, with its rich-colored foliage, will soon be here. I wonder how many of you ever use the autumn leaves to brighten the schoolroom. Perhaps some of you do not understand how to preserve the leaves. There are different methods. The most successful, however, is either to wax or to varnish the leaves. In waxing, each individual leaf will have a more delicate beauty, but for wall decoration the varnished leaves mounted on white cardboard, are more showy, as the bright tints are brought out.

Some sunny afternoon, take the children out to gather the leaves. How they enjoy such an excursion in the woods! The very rustle of the leaves is inviting. On returning to the schoolroom let them select the most perfect specimens, placing them in old books to press. After about three days, or when the sap has sufficiently dried, have the older children seated around a long table with small brushes and cups of very thin varnish; then let them varnish the leaves by passing the brush lightly over the surface. The smaller children may help by distributing the leaves, also in placing them on papers after varnishing to dry. Many will be the exclamations of delight as the bright colors appear.

Should some of the leaves curl when dry, dampen them on the under side, and place to press again. These leaves are very useful later for drawing, and for busy, language, and nature work.

One fall I had an interesting class of beginners. When preparing leaves in the autumn, I made no special effort to teach them the names of the different leaves, thinking to do this about Christmas time, when outdoor material in nature is low; but to my surprise and their pleasure, when the time arrived, they could point out or describe in a simple manner any leaf I mentioned.

So I have learned that the mere daily association of the child with things of nature in the schoolroom, even if a teacher never finds time for special instruction in regard to them, is a source of education. Since then I have tried to decorate the schoolroom with autumn products — pumpkins, corn, etc.

Seeds form a very interesting collection. It is surprising how many varieties of seeds may be found in just one

locality. At little cost small vials may be purchased. Try to see how large a collection of seeds your school can gather. Select a sample of each variety, place it in a vial, and label with both the name of the seeds and the name of the donor.

There are many spiritual lessons that may be learned. For instance, in the gathering of the seeds the children will be led to realize the broadness of the Creator's mind in planning seeds of so many forms and colors.

VINA M. SHERWOOD.