All diaries of Log Books from Victorian schools include lists of subjects which teachers had to talk about in class during what were called 'Object Lessons'.
These included a strange assortment of everyday things like "Washing Day" and more unusual things like "Reindeer". Teachers had boxes of coloured cards with drawings of the 'objects', some of which would have seemed very strange to Welsh children in the days before television !

This example is from the 1896 diary of Coelbren School:
"Object Lessons for Standards I, II, III. [classes 1 - 3]
Lion, Reindeer, Birds, Wheat, Cotton Plant, Silver, Sun, Post Office, Rain, Matches, Snow, Silk, House Building, Knife, Paper, Gooseberry, A Railway Station, Washing Day, The Sea, and Lead Pencil".

The children probably knew a lot more about 'Rain' and 'Snow' than they did about 'Cotton Plant' !

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