si lcox] NA TU RE- STUD V IN ONTA RIO 9 J 



On September 22, 1905, a flower show was held in a large store, 

 each school arranging its flowers and vegetables in a space assigned 

 by the committee. The result was a pronounced success from every 

 point of view. The exhibit was beautiful, the teachers, parents and 

 children were delighted, and the attendance was greater than the 

 capacity of the building. The net proceeds were devoted to beauti- 

 fying the school buildings. 



In 1906 another exhibit was held in connection with a more 

 pretentious exhibition, the "Made in St. Thomas Exhibition." A 

 program of songs and drills was put on and the attendance was in 

 the thousands. In fact, it was too great a success, the flower and 

 art exhibit being almost eclipsed by the program attractions. As an 

 educational factor, the exhibit of 1905 was the greater success, and 

 future exhibits will take it as the ideal. 



In 1905 three schools prepared plots on the school-grounds. 

 These were very successful and proved the most valuable nature- 

 study feature so far developed. This year every school had its 

 school plot in which the whole school was interested. The flowers 

 on these plots are used to send to pupils who are absent through ill- 

 ness. In this way the home and the school are brought more into 

 touch with each other. 



The preceding results are the direct and visible products, but 

 there have been indirect and permanent results of much more value 

 than these, due to correlation with other school subjects, composition, 

 drawing and color work and geography. The remainder of this 

 paper will deal with the subject of composition. 



After the exhibit this year, prizes were offered for the best com- 

 positions on the raising of plants this year, with a view to discovering 

 what had been learned. The prize was independent of spelling, writ- 

 ing or language. The pupil who had learned most and could express 

 it was considered the winner. Without doubt, the compositions were 

 decidedly superior to the average composition. Here is one by an 

 eight year old boy, with the spelling corrected. 



"I planted my plant behind the gate and it growed up high. The 

 next month it still keep growing high and high. I cared of them 

 myself. I water them every day, and then I put them in a box. 

 The flower was not very high. I had a garden of my own. Papa 

 gave me the seed. He said it was no good. But I planted it and it 

 growed. He said it was no good. When he saw it after a while he 

 thought it was getting a little better. He began to say it was swell. 



