14pony wash-boards1.756doz. clothes-pins.101clothes-line.25
1. China and Glass:1flower vase.251dinner set, Limoges china15.501doz. water glasses.801glass fruit set1.502. Silver and Steel:2doz. teaspoons4.201" dessert spoons4.001/2" tablespoons1.151" dessert knives4.501" dessert forks4.501" dinner knives4.501" dinner forks4.501carving set2.001butter pick.203. Linen, etc.:1silence cloth1.5014 yd. table-cloth5.401doz. napkins2.751centre-piece.402doylies.502tray cloths1.00
1"First Aid" cabinet10.001fire blanket2.00
In some schools it is impossible to set aside a special room for Household Management work, and the ordinary class-room is all that is available. In such cases the equipment must be a movable one, and gas stoves and plumbingare impossible. Table tops may be placed on trestles or laid across the ordinary desks, and oil or alcohol lamps must be used. These and the necessary utensils may be kept in a cupboard in the room.
With certain restrictions, the Department of Education assists in equipping special rooms in villages and rural districts and also in maintaining instruction in this subject.
Modified equipment for rural schoolsModified equipment for rural schools
The classes in these schools are usually smaller, so that an outfit suitable for individual work with a class of twelve will generally suffice. The following, suggested by the Macdonald Institute, Guelph, is a good basis and may be modified as desired:
12bowls, brown$0.8512bread tins.9512tea cups and saucers1.2512tin measuring cups1.2512egg beaters.3012forks.4012case knives1.2512paring knives1.2512plates.8512saucepans1.6812tablespoons.5024teaspoons.4012wooden spoons.6012stew pans2.4012strainers.652trays.801bowl, yellow.251" ".351" ".453scissors1.505trestle tables20.556frying-pans.903tea strainers.153match-box stands.241emery knife.203soap dishes.2512pepper shakers1.5012salt shakers1.501bell.504lemon reamers.406stoves, kerosene6.0012plates, dinner1.256plates, soup.604jugs.601jug.451butcher knife.301French knife.602spatulas.806teaspoons.103tablespoons.134brushes.202stove mitts.504asbestos mats.201corkscrew.254egg beaters.604wash basins.923draining pans.694dish pans2.006broilers.483cake tins.354graters.403strainers.7524patty pans.202tin dippers.402fibre pails.701colander.351pail, enamel.701pan, enamel.183tea-kettles2.701saucepan.301saucepan.251saucepan.231saucepan.301double boiler.851kettle, covered.60[A]1stove to burn coal or wood30.00————Total$100.05
FOOTNOTE:[A]The above may be replaced by a twenty-dollar wood stove or a ten-dollar, two burner, coal-oil stove.
[A]The above may be replaced by a twenty-dollar wood stove or a ten-dollar, two burner, coal-oil stove.
[A]The above may be replaced by a twenty-dollar wood stove or a ten-dollar, two burner, coal-oil stove.
When even the expense of the modified equipment is too great, the ingenuity of the teacher and the pupils may be used to provide a "packing-box" equipment suitable for six pupils. The outlay for this will vary according towhat is provided, but it can in no case be large. The following equipment used by the Department of Domestic Science, Teachers' College, Columbia University, will be suggestive:
Packing-box equipmentPacking-box equipment
3bread boards$0.151rolling-pin.053baking-powder can tops, for cookie cutters..1flour sifter.101large frying-pan.251double boiler.501quart kettle.251tea-kettle.501broiler.201garbage can.252pitchers.252apple corers.101chopping knife.101chopping bowl.056muffin tins.122layer-cake tins.103dish pans.453rinsing pans.301strainer.056china plates.303mixing bowls.306sauce dishes.156cups and saucers.301coffee-pot.251tea-pot.103bread pans.156quart jars.303wooden pails with covers.306dish towels.483dish cloths.153hand towels.151broom.301dust-pan.081scrubbing-brush.101scrubbing pail.201Dover egg beater.091pepper shaker.051salt shaker.051baking dish.101bread knife.251corkscrew.10——Total$8.021packing-box table1.001packing-box cupboard.50——Large blue-flame oil stove$10.00
1white bowl, 1 qt.$0.071measuring cup.051granite plate.101saucepan.051tin cover.051steel fork.101steel knife.101tablespoon.032teaspoons.05——-Total.601oil stove.751asbestos mat.05
In nosubject is careful planning of the details of the lesson more important than in Household Management. The definite length of the period allowed in the school programme for this work makes economy of time absolutely necessary. The cooking processes cannot be hurried, and unless there is in the teacher's mind a well-arranged plan for the use of the time, a part of the lesson is apt to be hastily and carelessly done. Then, too, in the limited space of one room, a number of people cannot work without confusion unless there is system.
The pupils enjoy a well-regulated lesson and their co-operation is gained, while, through the poor results of a lesson indifferently planned, they lose self-confidence and the sense of responsibility.
As a Household Management class is one that calls for individual supervision, the number should not exceed twenty-four, and a smaller class ensures more thorough supervision on the part of the teacher. Neatness, thoroughness, and accuracy are important factors in the work of each lesson, and the number of pupils should not be so large that a lack of these will pass unnoticed.
The uniform consists of a large, plain, white apron with a bib large enough to protect the dress, a pair of sleevelets, a holder, a small towel for personal use, and awhite muslin cap to confine the hair. (See Frontispiece.) Each pupil will also require a note-book and pencil for class, and a note-book to be used at home for re-copying the class work in ink. These books should be neatly written and kept for reference, and should be regularly examined and marked by the teacher for correction by the pupils.
The pupils should be encouraged to be clean and neat in appearance. They should be expected to have tidy hair, clean hands and nails, and neat uniforms. It is a good plan for each pupil to have two sets of uniforms, so that when one is in the wash the other will be ready to use. It may be wise to make a rule that the pupils without uniforms will not be allowed to work, but such a rule must be judiciously enforced, as in some cases it might result in much loss of time. There should be lockers or other proper provision provided at the school for keeping each uniform separately. Pasteboard boxes may be used for this purpose, when no such provision is made.
The pupils should be trained to enter and leave the room in the same order as in their other classes. Each pupil should have a definite working place and should not be allowed to "visit" others during the class.
While at work, it is wise to allow the pupils as much freedom in talking and movement as possible, so as to portray the home life. They should be taught, however, that when their conduct interferes with the order of the room or the comforts and rights of others, they must suppress their inclinations. During the time of teaching there must be perfect quiet and attention. Marks are sometimes given to secure punctuality and good work,but the best way to have both is to try to make each member of the class interested and happy in her work.
The time given to a practical lesson is usually one and a half hours. This must include both the theoretical and the practical work. In dividing the period, it is difficult to say how much time should be given to each of these, but, broadly speaking, the theoretical part may occupy one third of the time. The time for dish washing and cleaning will be included in the time allowance for practical work. These duties should require less time as the class advances in the work.
Notes should be copied at the most convenient time, usually while the food is cooking. Sitting to write notes will afford an opportunity for resting after any practical work. If printed cards are used, much of the note-taking is obviated. A sample card is given below.
VEGETABLE WATER SAUCE
1 c. veg. water2 tbsp. butter2 tbsp. flourpepper1/4 tsp. salt
1. Put the vegetable water over a gentle heat.
2. Mix the flour with a little cold water until smooth and thick as cream.
3. When the vegetable water is steaming hot, gradually stir the flour paste into it and keep stirring until it thickens and boils.
4. Add the butter, salt, and pepper.
5. Pour the sauce over the hot vegetable.
For practical work there are two plans in general use—individual and group work. In individual work, each pupil performs all the processes, handling small quantities of material. In group work, the pupils work in groups on one dish, each sharing the duties.
By the first method, the pupil has no chance to deal with quantities large enough for family purposes, and the small amount does not give adequate practice in manipulation, though it does give individual responsibility in every detail. By the second method, normal quantities are used, but a pupil never has entire responsibility throughout the processes.
The cost of supplies is often accountable for group work, but lack of utensils or oven room may make it a necessity. In some lessons, individual work with normal quantities may be obtained by allowing the pupils to bring the main ingredients from home; for example, fruit for a canning lesson. The finished product is then the property of the pupil who has made it.
The cleaning which always follows the use of the equipment is preferably done in groups. For instance, if there are groups of fours, number one can, during a lesson, wash all dishes used by the four, number two can wipe the dishes, number three can clean the table used by the group, and number four can clean the sink. During the next lesson number two is dish washer, and number three dish wiper, and so on, until, in four lessons, each pupil has had practice in four kinds of household work and has also been given an idea of the inter-dependence of family life and interests. The same numbers should be kept during the term, as this affords an easy way of definitely designating the pupils for certain duties.
The supplies for a lesson may be put on a centre table, or smaller amounts may be placed on the working tables in front of the groups. If the class is large, the latter plan is better, especially where measurements are necessary, as it saves time and confusion. Standard food supplies, such as salt, pepper, sugar, and flour may be kept in a drawer of the work-table of each pupil. (See page 15.)
Every member of the class should be familiar with the contents of the class pantry, cupboards, and drawers, so that she can get or put away utensils and materials without the help of the teacher.
If breakages occur through carelessness, the utensils should be replaced at the expense of the offender. This is not only a deserved punishment, but it always ensures a full equipment.
As a lesson in Household Management comes but once a week, much is gained by having the work reviewed by practice at home. To encourage this, in some schools a "practice sheet" is posted, on which the work done by each pupil, between lessons, is recorded. There is a danger of the younger pupils attempting work that is too difficult, which will end in poor results and discouragement. To avoid this, with pupils in the Third Form, it may be wise to limit their practice in cookery to a review of the work done in class.
The home practice work may be taken at the beginning of a lesson or during the time the food is cooking. It may be quickly ascertained by the pupils rising in order and stating simply the name of the duty they have done or the dish they have made unless they have had poor results,when the nature of these should be told. If there have been failures, the pupils should, if possible, give reasons for these and suggest means of avoiding them in future.
1. The teacher should endeavour to plan lessons which will be definitely related to the home lives of the pupils. What is useful for one class may not be useful for another. The connection between the lessons and the home should be very real. It is also important to have a sequence in the lessons.
2. Great care should be exercised in criticising any of the home methods that are suggested by the pupils. A girl's faith in her mother should not be lessened.
3. The work should be taken up in a very simple manner; scientific presentation should be left for the high school.
4. Economy should be emphasized in all home duties; time, labour, and money should be used to give the best possible returns. Wholesome substitutes for expensive foods and attractive preparation and serving of left-over foods should be encouraged.
5. Too much vigilance cannot be exercised during the first year of practical work, when habits are being formed. It is much easier to form habits than to break away from them.
6. While nothing less than the best work should be accepted from the pupils, it requires much discernment to know when fault should be found, in order to avoid saying or doing anything that would discourage them.
7. As Household Management is a manual subject, the teacher is advised, as far as possible, not to spend timein talking about the work, but to have the class spend their time in doing the work.
In schools where the ordinary class-room must be used for all subjects, there are unusual difficulties in teaching Household Management. For such schools, two modified equipments are outlined.
Since such class-rooms require special arrangement for practical lessons in this subject, it would be well to take this work in the afternoon, so that part of the noon hour may be taken for preparation. Pupils who have earned the right to responsibility may be appointed in turn to assist in this duty.
In rural schools, the afternoon recess might be taken from 2.15 to 2.30 and, during this time, tables, stoves, and supplies may be placed, so as to be ready for the lesson to follow in the remaining hour and a half.
For pupils who are not in the Household Management class, definite work should be planned. They may occupy themselves with manual training, sewing, art work, map-drawing, composition, etc. In summer, school gardening may be done.
Since the end of the week, in many schools, is chosen for a break in the usual routine, Friday afternoon seems a suitable time for Household Management lessons.
Under such limited conditions, it will be necessary to group the larger pupils into one class for practical work, and it may be necessary for the pupils to take turns in working. In some cases, the teacher must demonstrate what the class may practise at home.
It will be impossible, in such schools, to cover the prescribed work. From the topics suggested in the Course of Study each teacher may arrange a programme by selecting what is most useful to the pupils and what is possible in the school.
Even in schools which have no equipment, much of the theory of Household Management can be taught and some experiments may be performed. On Friday afternoons a regular period may be devoted to this subject, when the ingenious teacher will find ways and means of teaching many useful lessons.
The following will be suggestive as suitable for lessons under such conditions:
1. Any of the lessons prescribed in the Course of Study for Form III, Junior.
2. Measuring.—Table of measures used in cookery, methods of measuring, equivalent measures and weights of standard foods.
3. Cleaning.—Principles, methods, agents.
4. Water.—Uses in the home, appearance under heat, highest temperature, ways of using cooking water.
5. Cooking.—Reasons for cooking, kinds of heat used, common methods of conducting heat to food, comparison of methods of cooking as to time required and effect of heat on food.
Note.—An alcohol stove, saucepan, and thermometer are necessary for this lesson.
6. The kitchen fire.—Experiments to show necessities of a fire, construction of a practical cooking stove.
7. Food.—Uses, kinds, common sources.
8. Preservation of food.—Cause of decay, methods of preservation, application of methods to well-known foods.
9. Yeast.—Description, necessary conditions, sources, use.
Note.—A few test-tubes and a saucepan are necessary for this lesson.
10. The table.—Laying a table, serving at table, table manners.
11. Care of a bed-room.—Making the bed, ventilating, sweeping, and dusting the room.
12. Sanitation.—Necessity for sanitation, household methods.
13. Laundry work.—Necessary materials, processes.
14. Home-nursing.—The ideal sick-room, care of the patient's bed, and diet.
Thepupils of Form III, Junior, are generally too small to use the tables and stoves provided for the other classes and too young to be intrusted with fires, hot water, etc.; but they may be taught the simpler facts of Household Management by the special teacher of the subject, or by the regular teacher in correlation with the other subjects. In either case a special room is not necessary.
If the latter plan be adopted, the following correlations are suggested:
Arithmetic.—1. Bills of household supplies, such as furniture, fuel, meat, groceries, bed and table linen, material for clothing. This will teach the current prices as well as the usual quantities purchased.
2. Making out the daily, weekly, or monthly supply and cost of any one item of food, being given the number in the family and the amount used by each per day.
Example:One loaf costs 6c. and cuts into 18 slices. Find the cost of bread for two days for a family of six, if each person uses 1-1/2 slices at one meal.
3. Making out the total weekly or monthly expenses of a household, given the items of meat, groceries, fuel, gas, etc. This brings up the question of the cost of living.
4. Making out the total cost of a cake, a loaf of bread, a jar of fruit, or a number of sandwiches, given the costof the main materials and fuel used. Compare the home cost with the cost at a store. This may be used to teach economy.
Geography.—1. The sources of our water supply.
2. The geographical sources of our ordinary household materials, their shipping centres, the routes by which they reach us, and the means of transportation.
Examples:Fuels, common minerals used in building and furnishing; timber for floors and furniture; manufactured goods, such as cotton, linen, carpets, china; domestic and foreign fruits; common groceries, such as salt, sugar, tea, coffee, cocoa, spices, rice, cereals, and flour.
3. The preparation of our common household commodities.
Examples:Cotton, linen, china, paper, sugar, tea, coffee, cereals, flour.
4. The household products that are exported.
Nature Study.—1. The parts of plants used as food.
2. The natural sources of our common foods, such as cornstarch, flour, breakfast cereals, tea, coffee, cocoa, sugar, salt, cheese, butter.
3. The sources of common household substances, such as coal-oil, gasolene, paraffin, turpentine, washing soda, whiting, bathbrick, soap.
4. The forms of water, as ice, steam.
5. The composition and impurities of the air.
6. The ordinary woods used in house building and furnishing.
Hygiene.—The necessity for the following:
1. Fresh air in the home at all times—in living rooms and sleeping rooms
2. Good food and plenty of sleep
3. Cleanliness of the body
4. Cleanliness in preparing food
5. Cleanliness in the home and surroundings.
Physical Training.—1. The value of exercise gained by performing household duties.
2. The importance of correct positions in performing home duties, such as dish washing, sewing, etc.
3. The value of conveniences to save steps.
Composition.—Topics selected from household materials and activities.
Examples:Food materials, cleansing agents, planning a convenient kitchen or bath-room, sweeping day, baking day, arrangement of a kitchen cupboard or clothes closet, etc.
Spelling.—Names of household articles and duties as follows:
Furniture of a special room, such as kitchen or sitting-room, kitchen utensils, contents of a kitchen cupboard, dishes and food used at a particular meal, etc.
Manual Training.—Construction of household furnishings and utensils for a doll's house from raffia, paper, and plasticine.
Art.—Designing and colouring carpets, curtains, wall-papers, book covers, dishes, tiles, ribbons, and dress materials.
Sewing.—Making the uniform for Household Management work.
If the Household Management teacher takes the work with this class, she should follow the outline of work given in the Course of Study. This outline will make the pupils familiar with the common household materials as to their sources, preparation, and cost, and when, in the next class, they deal with these materials, they will do so with more interest and intelligence. It will also draw attention to the importance of economy in time and energy. The convenience of a kitchen and the use of proper utensils to facilitate labour will impress this fact.
The lessons should be taught simply as information lessons and should be of the same length as the other studies—from thirty to forty minutes. If the usual hour and a half period be set aside for this class, the remainder of the time may be devoted to sewing.
Scope of Household Management
In introducingthe practical side of Household Management to a class, it is an advantage to let them have a general idea of what the subject includes. They will then work with more intelligence and usually with more interest. Then, too, the prevalent idea that the subject means only cooking will be corrected from the first.
Throughout the introduction, the teacher should not forget that she is dealing with immature minds and that the ideas must be very simply expressed. She might ask what the pupils expect to learn in this class, have them name other subjects they study in school, and in each case lead up to theonething of which a particular subject treats; for example, arithmetic treats ofnumbers;geography, of theworld;history, ofpast events. She should lead the class to see that the one thing of which Household Management treats is thehome;and that the two great requirements for a home are thehouse, and the people who live in it, or theoccupants.
To get the details relating to each of these two divisions, let the pupils imagine they are boarding in some locality where they decide to make a home for themselves. The first thing to be done is to choose a building lot. Then they must decide upon the kind of house they want and the plan of the house. After the house is built, it must be furnished. When the house is ready, it must be cleanedand kept clean. As soon as the family move in, new considerations arise—they must have food, which must be bought, prepared, and served; each member of the family must be clothed and educated; they must receive proper care when sick. Only a few minutes should be spent on this introductory talk.
While the class is naturally led to think of and name these details, they should be written on the black-board in the order of development, somewhat as follows:
1. Household Management teaches us about thehome.
2. A home includes two main ideas:
(1) A house, (2) a family.
3. In connection with ahousewe must consider:
(1) The lot, (2) the plan, (3) the furnishing, (4) the cleaning.
4. In connection with afamilywe must consider:
(1) Food (buying, cooking, serving), (2) clothing (buying, sewing, mending), (3) education, (4) home nursing.
Tell the pupils that a housekeeper should be informed on all of these points, but little girls can expect to study only a few of them, such as questions of food, clothing, and cleaning.
Equipment.—Most of the time of the first lesson should be used in making the pupils acquainted with their surroundings and individual necessities, so that they will be ready for work the next day.
Give each member of the class a definite working place, and let her examine the contents of the cupboardand drawers which belong to her place. Explain that the particular places which the pupils are given will be kept throughout the year, and that, while they have the privilege of using and enjoying them, they are responsible for their cleanliness and order.
Point out the remainder of the equipment—hot and cold water-taps, towel racks, class cupboard with its contents, refrigerator, large and individual stoves.
Teach each pupil how to light her stove and regulate its heat.
Uniforms, etc.—Tell the pupils that you have shown them what has been provided for them, but you want them also to provide some things for themselves. It will be necessary for them to bring a large, plain, white apron, having a bib large enough to protect the dress; a pair of sleevelets; a holder; a small towel for personal use; and a white muslin cap to confine the hair while working. They will also need a note-book and pencil for class, and a note-book to be used at home for re-copying the class work in ink. The latter book is to be very neatly written and kept for reference after it has been examined by the teacher.
The little girls who make up the classes are not so far removed from their "playhouse" days that a survey of the dishes, stoves, and tables will not give them an eager desire to begin using them. This desire should be gratified, but as the use always necessitates the cleaning as well, it may be advisable at first to make use of the equipment only for the purpose of showing proper methods of cleaning.
A short lesson on cleaning may be given in a few minutes, and the rest of the period spent in putting it into practice. The teacher may proceed somewhat as follows in the development of a lesson on cleaning:
Take two dishes—plates or saucers—exactly alike. Have one clean and the other soiled with butter or some well-known substance. Ask the class the difference between them. One is clean and one dirty. What substance is on one that hinders your saying it is clean? Butter. What else could be on it? Jam. What else? Dust. What else? Gravy. Now instead of telling the name of the particular substance in each case, let us try to find one name that will apply to all of the substances which, as you say, make the dish dirty. Let us give these substances a name which will show that they do not belong to the plate. We may call each of them a foreign substance. And if I take the substance off the plate what am I doing to the plate? Cleaning it. Then what is cleaning? Cleaning is removing a foreign substance.