Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-02-03
EDUCATIONAL NOTES
Items OF Interest to Friends and
Patrons of our Schools.
EDUCATION THROUGH TOOLS

Man stands at the head of created
things and is tool-using animal. Edu-
Gators have long recognized the inn
portance of teaching children the use
Of some OF the commonest tools, such
as the saw, hammer, square, chisel,
brace and bit and others used in wood
and iron work. Out Of this has come
manual training, which is elementary
carpenter and cabinet work. In many
schools where manual training is
taught both girls and boys take the
work, most OF the girls proving as
skillful as the boys.
Just as a matter of brain, eye and
muscle training, the correct use Of
tools is a good part OF any boys or
girls education. In addition to this
the training is very practical and USE
full. 1t is a lamentable fact that many
grown women can not take up a ham
mer and drive a nail without MASKING
the nail or their fingers. Every week
OF the year, almost, the woman of the
home would have a nail driven or a
pair of hinges set or reset, a trivial
job, yet she must call on her husband
or secure a carpenter TO have the
work done, which requires only few
minutes OF time for one who can han
die a screwdriver.
The plane is another very useful
tool which every farm girl and woman
should learn to use. A comparative
ly perfect mastery of this old and use
full tool will train the eye and develop
judgment in mechanical things. With
the plane and saw, the correct use OF
the square should be learned, which
also is easy and very useful to know
One OF our older girls. after being
shown how to use the carpenters
square and the hand saw, and how to
mark and saw a board square across
now can use the saw and make a neat
job in n variety Of work TO be done
about our farm home. She can make
chicken coop as quickly and as neat
~ as a man.
On the average farm, dull, rusty and
crude tools are kept. Usually they are
scattered around and can seldom be
found when wanted. On the farm, OF
all places, there should be good tool
house in which are kept a variety OF
common tools used on the farm and
in the home. The boys and girls
should be taught how TO care for and
sharpen the different common tools,
for a dull tool, like on old broom, is
work bench and a small, hand, emery
tool grinder, one Of the most useful
little machines that can be kept on
the farm. We find II useful in many
ways for grinding kitchen knives and
other household articles, especially the
Ratchet and meat and fruit knives.
The paint brush is one Of the useful
farm home tools, which any woman
or girl can easily learn TO use effective
ly. Constantly in and about the home
some woodwork needs to be treated
with oil, paint, stain or varnish. The
job is often too small to pay for calling
in regular painter, and the men folks
Of the farm may be too busy. Girls
and women can use the brush and
apply oil, paint, stain and varnish fully
as well as men. Common painting,
vanishing and staining are very sim
.pie, so simple that a child can do the
work in some cases.
The farmer and his wife do not al
ways have a perfect knowledge of all
the common tools. Children should
be taught TO handle tools with accur-
acy. Whenever we have a skilled
carpenter or other skilled workman on
the place, we manage to have our
boys assist him in every little way pos
sible so they can learn the accurate
use Of his tools. When interior re-
pairing or remodeling is done, the girls
are given n chance TO learn the correct
use OF tools. In this way all of them