Secondly: The child is under no apparent restraint, so expresses himself freely and shows his natural self.
Thirdly: The boys and girls mingle with one another with the same freedom that they have on their own playground.
In the two months spent in the garden not a single child took undue advantage of the privileges allowed, and the opportunity afforded the teacher for the study of child-nature was of great value.
Some one might ask, "While garden work is being done, does not the work of the classroom suffer?" No, it does not. When classes are taught in sections, this outside work may be fitted in as a sectional part and the routine be kept intact.
In summarizing, the lessons developed from garden work were these: Science (soil physics and seed germination); geography; arithmetic; spelling; English; drawing, and construction. The greatest benefit to the teacher was the chance to study the child under natural conditions. The greatest benefit to the child was his awakening to a knowledge of things by personal contact. I sincerely believe that the after-life of each one of these children will be the richer for this experience of outdoor study.
GATHERING THE VEGETABLES
In some of the school yards the pavement near the fence has been removed, and the space divided into small beds for gardening. Many of these gardens make a fine showing and you will find here three pictures of such a yard, illustrating what may be done within the limits of the playground of a city school. When you consider that between six and eight hundred children play in this yard at the same recess time every day, you can appreciate what it means to yield a portion of the limited space to vegetables and flowers; and, since these plants are never molested, how much the children are pleased to have their playground so decorated.