de wolfe] THE SCHOOL FAIR AN AID TO GARDENING (=3 



divide our class and set a few at work planting shrubbery and 

 others working on different parts of the grounds. Then too one 

 can use the application hour to write out lessons or stories which 

 they have had in their regular nature-study period. 



One strong proof that the children are interested in nature-study 

 is the number of things which they bring to the nature-study rooms. 

 Frogs, turtles, a woodpecker, a chipmunk, a kitten, two mourning 

 doves, a Virginia Rail, two young pigeons, an owl, fish of all kinds 

 and an alligator are among the live things which they have brought 

 to me this year. The room is too small to hold the amount of 

 inanimate things which they bring. On the whole one really 

 enjoys teaching nature-study in Gary. 



The School Fair an Aid to Gardening 

 L. A. DeWolfe 



School gardens are not new in Nova Scotia. Owing to increased 

 financial aid, however, the present year has seen an immense 

 increase in their popularity. Possibly I should modify this by 

 changing "school gardens" to "school children's gardens." 



The home garden is apparently what meets our needs. We 

 are not ready for the school garden yet. The latter, however, 

 must come as a result of the interest aroused in the former. 



Yet, the garden, in itself, is not extremely popular. It is only 

 an incident. The real attraction is the School Fair, where the 

 products of the garden are exhibited. A description of the working 

 of the fairs here may not be uninteresting. Doubtless, however, 

 they are much alike the country over. 



Previous to 1914 not more than half a dozen schools had held 

 fairs. This year, however, the number has grown to forty. 

 Next year, we hope for one hundred. 



Possibly the greatest value of the fair is the fact that it brings 

 the parents to the school, allows them to meet the teachers, and 

 enlists their heatry co-operation in the natural side of their 

 children's education. 



What do we exhibit? Everything we can get the children to 

 make, or to collect, or to grow. An average fair would consist 

 of the following: 



