230 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [10:6— Sept., 1914 



With older children, the peculiar shape of flower, the variation in 

 petals, the sweetness stored in the long spur, the visits of the 

 humming bird to the flower, the beautiful markings on the largest 

 petal leading inward to the storehouse, the curious shaped leaves 

 with their shimmering silvery loveliness in water, the use of flowers 

 and leaves in the home, the use of seed pods in salad, all is worth 

 study. The ease with which this flower is cultivated makes it a 

 particularly good one for the school or children's home garden. 

 Our nasturtiums have never failed us. The children may be asked 

 to find other "Life Stories" in the garden. Perhaps someone can 

 bring the "Life Story of a Sweet Pea" from home as our school 

 sweet peas never seem to flourish. Perhaps some "Life Histories" 

 may be found in the vegetable garden. 



One of our fall trips is a visit to the grocery store. We talk over 

 before going the fruits and vegetables we may hope to see, the 

 possibility of our good fortune in seeing the farmer actually deliver- 

 iing his potatoes, the fact that we may see the big truck from the 

 Fruit Commission Warehouse, the anticipation of seeing them 

 grind coffee at Otto's — all the pleasantly surprising though familiar 

 things we saw a year ago. Each class has some definite question 

 to answer, the older ones proudly recording observations on the 

 spot, the younger ones calling on "teacher" to help them make 

 lists. After the trip Charts on "The Grocery Store" are made in 

 each class and vary with the enthusisam and originality of the 

 teacher and the consequent interest of the children. One of the 

 cleverest, because most happily adapted to the children's tastes 

 while still accomplishing the desired result was in the form of an 

 immense postcard folder, a picture of a resplendent grocery store 

 on the outside, the next page, showing the vehicles in front of it, 

 another page the family each carrying home some desired purchase, 

 other pages the farmer with his load, pictures showing the produc- 

 tion of the crop, the growing of the wheat, the flour mill, the baker 

 making our cookies, all the details brought our during the trip and 

 in class work later were reproduced upon the chart. "Explaining 

 the chart" is a favorite way of entertaining visitors. Sometimes 

 after our trip "The Farmer in the Fall" has been rendered in a life- 

 like way in a Shoebox. The sides represent the country landscape, 

 the bottom of the box is colored to represent the ground, the 

 farmer cut freehand from paper, his wife, his children all aid in the 

 harvesting. Colored crayon and manila drawing paper are the 

 only materials needed. Each child supplies his own box. The 



