Combine any of the previous exercises for Eye and Ear, Ear and Feeling,
Eye and Feeling, etc., but do not attempt two exercises of the same
sense or use two of the same order.
At first the attention will alternate between the two exercises, but by
persistence the child can learn to carry on two exercises at the same
time.
Watch an operator in the central phone stations, she listens to the
party calling, watches the board over which other conversations
are passing, and pulls and shifts the plugs, all at the same time.
Operators of many machines in factories learn to carry on two and more
separate operations at one time.
Combine the Insets for the sense of feeling on page 18 with the Number
Game or the Letter Game on page 45, or with the exercises for visual
counting on page 59. Let the Insets be held close to the body so as
not to be easily seen, or have them worked under the table, or covered
by a cloth.
Use a similar combination of any of the sense exercises or games. Try
many variations of the idea given on page 75 under Divided Attention,
using different verses and problems to suit the age of the child.
Have the child write a familiar verse while listening to the reading of
a story and see how much he can tell after the verse is finished. See
that the writing continues during the reading, that is, that he does
not stop writing to listen, then write again.
Take the letter cards of the Letter Game, page 45, and arrange a series
of six, having these covered. Give the child a paper and pencil,
uncover the series of letters and simultaneously read an equal series
of digits. After the reading cover the letters and have him write as
many as possible, first the letters and immediately following the
digits. Next time write the digits first and the letters second.
The result of this test will reveal the comparative quality of the
child's eye and ear memory, as memory must of course enter into this
exercise. If the sounds of the digits are lost before the pictures of
the letters, the eye memory is strongest. This is usually the case, but
some children will retain the sounds easily and lose the picture of the
letters.
The sense which proves most useful should be depended upon for
accuracy, but there should be a continuous effort to develop and
strengthen the weaker one.