Ontario Teachers Manuals: Household Science in Rural Schools | Page 5

the
dishes, pots, and pans should be scraped, and washed in hot, soapy
water, then rinsed in clear, hot water, dried, and put away. The table
should be scrubbed, the stove cleaned, the floor swept and scrubbed
whenever necessary, and everything put neatly in its place.
Care of the coal or wood range.--All spots should be removed from the
range by wiping it with old paper. If it is in bad condition, it should be
washed with soap and water. If it is oiled occasionally, blacking will
not be necessary; but if blacking is used, it should be applied with a
cloth and rubbed to a polish with a brush, just as the fire is being started.
The ashes and soot flues back of the oven and underneath it should be
cleaned out once a week.
Directions for building a fire.--To build and care for a fire in the coal
or wood range, close all the dampers, clean the grate, and remove the
ashes from the pan. Put on the covers and brush the dust off the stove.
Open the creative damper and the oven damper, leaving the check

damper closed. Lay some paper, slightly crumpled into rolls, across the
base of the grate. Place small pieces of kindling wood across one
another, with the large pieces on top. Lay pieces of hardwood or a
shovelful of coal on top of the kindling, building so as to admit of the
free circulation of air. If the stove is to be polished, rub it with blacking.
Light the paper from below. When the fire begins to burn briskly, add
coal or wood: then add more when that kindles. When the fire is well
started and blue flame is no longer seen (about ten minutes), close the
oven damper. Close the creative damper when the fire is sufficiently
hot. Brush the stove and the floor beneath it as soon as the fire is started.
Polish the stove. If the fire becomes too hot, open the check damper.
Fill the tea-kettle with fresh water and set it on the front of the range.
Care of the sink, wash-basin, and garbage pail.--A neglected sink or
garbage pail may be a fruitful source of disease, in addition to attracting
water-bugs and other pests. Scraps should never be left in the sink.
After washing the dishes it should be thoroughly cleaned, a brush and
scouring material being used. The nickel part may be washed with hot
soap-suds, wiped dry, and polished. Water should never be left in the
wash-basin. Both the soap-dish and the wash-basin should be scoured
daily. The garbage pail should be emptied and washed every day, and
carefully scalded once or twice a week.
PRELIMINARY PLAN
It will be well to have this lesson succeed or follow a cooking lesson,
for then the pupils will have a keener interest in the problems of the
kitchen. (See Twenty Lessons in Cooking, Lesson I.)
METHOD OF WORK
Cleanliness and order are the two points to be considered in this lesson.
The doing well of each simple household task and the thoughtful
arrangement and planning of all parts of the house should be
emphasized as being of great importance to the housekeeper's success.
Begin the lesson with a discussion of the purpose of the kitchen; then
discuss its arrangement from the standpoint of convenience for the

work that must be done there. Emphasize the importance of having the
furniture so arranged that the work may be done quickly and easily, and
that the kitchen may be given a comfortable and attractive appearance.
Let the pupils arrange the furniture in the school-room. Discuss and
demonstrate the care of the stove by the use of the school stove. Assign
each pupil a time when she is to look after the stove on succeeding days
and grade her on her work. Let each pupil bring a report from home as
to what she is doing to help in the care of the home kitchen. Make a
specific assignment for home work.
Questions Used to Develop the Lesson
What is the purpose of the kitchen?
What are the principal articles of furniture in the kitchen?
How should we arrange these things?
Can we make any general rules as to arrangements?
Why is it difficult to keep the kitchen clean?
At what times is the kitchen most apt to become disarranged?
Why is it important to keep the kitchen in good order?
In what order should the kitchen be at the time we begin the preparation
of the meal?
How should the floor be cleaned? The utensils?
What should we do with any left-over food?
How should we take care of the stove after the meal?

LESSON II: CARE OF CUPBOARDS AND UTENSILS
SUBJECT-MATTER

It is of the utmost importance that cupboards and