cor.sonJ ELEMENTARY SCIENCE IN NEWARK' 219 



"Interest began early in the spring by planting seeds in paste 

 jars filled with sawdust and kept sufficiently moist to promote 

 germination. Several jars were used in a classroom. Peas, 

 beans and corn were planted. Seeds were also planted in the 

 germination boxes made in the manual training shops. 



"A ib room lined a sand table with oil cloth, filled it with 

 good rich soil, and started a small farm. Here they built a 

 house, barn, chicken-house and coops, and made fences and farm 

 utensils, etc., planted garden truck, sowed grass seed for a lawn 

 and developed a small but well equipped farm. 



"The kindergarten had a land turtle, a water turtle, polly- 

 wogs, newts, frogs, and fish; also a space in the yard for the 

 wild flowers transplanted from the woods — jack-in-the-pulpits, 

 ferns, violets, etc. A family of ants lived comfortably in a 

 fruit-jar in one room. Three classes tried their hand at garden- 

 ing in the yard. Several classes furnished twigs of different 

 trees and placing them in bottles of water noted leaf and blossom 

 development. Last but not least the Board carpenters con- 

 structed a combination hutch and chicken coop, the home of 

 Molly Cottontail, her two children 'Nig' and 'Gray,' a Plymouth 

 Rock hen — nearly pure blood as the farmer who raised her wrote 

 me — , and eight little chicks. These latter, rabbits and chicks, 

 cost us S3. 60, paid for out of the school fund. The children 

 brought most of the green food for all the family to eat. The 

 hen responded to the kindness shown her by contributing a few 

 eggs, which of course added to the interest. 



"Some 2,200 penny packets of seeds were purchased by the 

 children from a Boston firm and gardens started at home. 



"Miss L. reports that a week's occupation was gathered by a 

 visit to the hutch. 



"For illustration; hen scratching with her brood; in the 

 coop at night; sitting on eggs; chicks breaking shell; chicks 

 taking first walk; children gathering eggs; Henny Penny; Herr 

 Oster Haas coloring egg; mother using eggs for cake. 



"Manual work; coop; water pan; corn pan; basket for eggs; 

 cotton chicks. 



"They also noted the hen's kindness in caring for chicks, 

 that she helped provide for them by scratching. 



"Miss M. reports that the best set of language papers of the 

 term was about 'Our Pets.' One child brought in beans sprout- 



