Teach the child to make the pictures in the book his permanent knowledge through visual reviews. When he is studying about an isthmus, and there is no picture of one in the geography, find one elsewhere. Have the child notice clearly that "An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger bodies." Take the outline maps and have the child go over them and point out all the examples of the isthmus. Now have him take a pencil and paper and draw one. Have him repeat the definition as the teacher wishes it to be learned, but be sure that he can SEE and explain it in his own words. Fix one definite illustration of each geographical division in the child's mind. Use the Isthmus of Panama for the isthmus, explaining to him that this location was selected for the Panama Canal because it was a narrow strip of land, etc. Make it interesting by stories. In your walks with the children through the country take every opportunity to explain the different geographical formations. Find an illustration for an isthmus even if it is only a small puddle, or if you have to make one in the back yard with a shovel and a pail of water. The sand-box method, because it is visual, has always been a successful one for teaching geography. Visualize the Map See clearly the outline of the country being studied, and note its peculiarities. Put the map at arm's length and let your imagination transform the contour of the country into the picture of some object. Note that the continent of South America is very similar in shape to the head and trunk of an elephant, the projection on the Northeast corner being the ear. Note the similarity in shape between the outlines of France, Spain and Portugal to a hog's head eating from a bucket. The continent of Australia easily becomes the shape of two animals' heads, back to back. To study any country follow the plan outlined in the next two paragraphs for the study of the states of Illinois and Indiana. Note carefully the outline of the state, and see just the shape which it forms. Note the location of the principal cities and get their relationship to each other. Illinois [Illustration] Take your pencil and draw an outline of this state, then a line from Chicago to Rock Island, from Rock Island to East St. Louis, from East St. Louis to Springfield and from Springfield back to Chicago. Notice that the line connecting these cities forms a triangle. Get the visual impression of the triangle in mind. Now close your eyes and see if you can see the outline of the state clearly and upon it the line joining the principal cities. Indiana In like manner note the state of Indiana, its outline and the triangle formed by the line running from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne to South Bend, to La Fayette, to Evansville, and back to Indianapolis. Any state may be studied in this way, or any country or continent. Its size, shape and the location of the principal cities may be indelibly fixed in mind. [Illustration]