THE 



NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



Vol. 15 March, 1919 No. 3 



Gardening and Nature-Study in the Cincinnati Schools 



By Roland W, Guss 

 Director of School Gardening, Cincinnati, Ohio 



The tentative time value assigned to "Nature and Geography" 

 in the Cincinnati Schools is 6o to 1 75 minutes per week in the first 

 four grades, 1 20 to 2 10 minutes per week in higher grades. Nature 

 but not geography receives attention in the lower grades while 

 geography is stressed in the upper grades. One hour per week in 

 school time is allowed for garden-work when and where this can 

 be arranged for, but under the pressure of necessity for food pro- 

 duction, this time has been extended in upper grades to one-half 

 day per week (not necessarily taken from geography time), during 

 the planting season at least, in case of children cultivating not less 

 than I /20 acre in school gardens under supervision. Children 

 using school time for garden work are expected to give at least an 

 equal amount of time outside of regular school hours to supervised 

 garden work and in fact when they are allotted space in a school 

 garden, both they and their parents sign an agreement that the 

 children will care for it under direction throughout the simimer 

 unless excused. 



It is safe to say that the nature-study which prepares for, con- 

 sists of, and grows out of garden work has had here more attention, 

 more supervision, more tangible results, and we think results more 

 vitally affecting the lives of the children than other nature work 

 undertaken without special super\'ision. 



To carry on this work there are, besides the director, eight super- 

 visors, each in charge of gardening work in a number of schools, 

 fi^•e or more assistant supervisors , and about thirty-five teachers of 

 gardening. Nearly all schools which have or can secure any facili- 

 ties are given supervision. Five of the superv'isors now devote the 

 entire year, except two months' vacation in the winter, to teaching 

 and supervising gardening and the related nature-study. The 

 writer's course of study, published in The Nature-Study Review, 



85 



