s 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.

[Illustration: 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.

Nearly all the garden products may be correlated with the classroom
work. The kindergarten children use peas in construction. The peas
raised in the garden may be applied here. The first-grade children use
lentils in construction. Why not as well use pumpkin seed and grains of
corn--the product of the garden? Every class enjoys having a
Jack-o'-lantern at Hallowe'en, so here again the pumpkin from the
garden comes into play. In the construction of miniature wagons and
wheelbarrows of paper, peas may be soaked and used as axles for the
wheels. Both peas and beans may be soaked and given to the small
children to string for