CHAPTER IIUThe Fascination 

 of Flowers 



IHILDREN LOVE things that grow. That is 

 probably why few toys can ever hold their 

 attention as long as a garden will. Everything about a garden ap- 

 peals to them. Planting a seed is a privilege they are ready to fight 

 for, and day after day they will come back to see if it has begun 

 to sprout. Watching a bud unfold is another experience that fills 

 them with wonderment. It is no exaggeration to say that the young- 

 ster who does not have his own garden or flower box, or just a 

 single flowerpot, is being deprived of one of childhood's most 

 treasured possessions. 



A child's interest in the plant world is by no means limited to 

 flowers. Vegetables and flowerless plants, or even grass, will absorb 

 his attention, too, and he will give them devoted care. What 

 attracts him to plants is that they are living things, growing, ex- 

 panding, changing. 



Once your youngster becomes fully aware that plants have 

 life just as animals do, a number of questions are bound to arise 

 in his mind if he takes nature exploring seriously. Not so easy 

 to answer as it is to ask is this one: "What's the difference between 

 plants and animals?" 



Plants Move Too: The younger child may be satisfied with the 

 popular answer quite oversimplified that animals are capable of 

 motion, moving from place to place by their own efforts whereas 



289 



