inted
gray. The blocks representing physics, are octagon shaped, painted
yellow. The botany blocks are oblong, painted green. The physiology
blocks are triangular in shape, painted pink. The history blocks are
square, painted black. A large number of the key-words of the sciences,
are painted on blocks, which, in size, shape and color, are counterparts
of those that represent the heads of families to which they belong.

This scheme of blocks, furnishes the ground work for the construction of
a great number of games, for the amusement and edification of the
children. Games of word-building, such as spelling out the names of
fishes, insects, reptiles, birds and animals. Also of building the names
of familiar things, houses, stables, light-houses, factories and mills;
rivers, ponds, lakes, mountains, trees and fields; hats, shoes, coats,
cloaks and other articles of clothing; common household utensils in
every day use, such as pots, kettles, pans, pails, cups, knives, forks
and spoons; stove, shovel, tongs, mop and broom; toys, dolls, balls,
kites, tops, etc.

By the use of many such ingenious games, the children unconsciously
become familiar with the names of the sciences, and with all the
principal words, which belong to each one. For example: Names of
heavenly bodies in the domain of astronomy. The sun, the moon, the milky
way, the planets, the constellations, the polar star, and the names of
twenty stars of the greatest magnitude: In the domain of geology,
fossils, shells, minerals, rocks, shales, clays, gravels, and the names
of geological periods: In the domain of chemistry, the names of acids,
gases, metals, crucibles, retorts, mortars, and the names of a great
variety of chemical combinations: In the domain of geography, globes,
hemispheres, continents, islands, oceans, gulfs, bays, and straits;
equator, tropics, circles, longitude, latitude, etc. These examples,
will furnish an approximate idea of the wide scope in scientific names,
covered by these key-words, when applied to all of the sciences.

In such plays of science grouping, the interest and pleasure of the
children is intensified, by applying a system of personification, to the
families of the different sciences: For instance, Mr. Astronomy Blue;
Mrs. Geology Brown; Mr. Chemistry Red; Mrs. Geography Gray, etc.

In the greatest and most useful of all games, the game of
classification: Groups of children, spend hours with their teachers or
directors, in