352 NATURE STUDY. 



IV. WHAT TOMMY FOUND ABOUT THE MALLOW FLOWERS. 



I am in Miss Grey's room. 



I went out with the boys and girls to see the home of the mallow. 



I saw lots of things. 



Miss Grey said : "Tommy, you find out all you can about the 



flower and the cheese." 

 The flower is pretty, but it is bashful. 

 It hides under the leaves. 



Some of the flowers are white. Some are pink. 

 The flower has a green coat. 

 I looked at a flower when it was almost dark. 

 It had closed up and gone to sleep. 

 It had its green coat over it. 

 It wakes up again when the sun shines. 

 I found lots of cheeses. 

 I ate some. 



Mary said, " Oh, those are seed boxes !" 

 She found an old brown cheese, with some brown parts. 

 She said the brown parts were seeds. 

 I did not know that. 



The above illustrate three forms of reading lessons, 

 the narrative in the third person, the narrative in the first 

 person, and personification, in which the plant tells its own 

 story. Those who live and work with little children know 

 how much they enjoy personifying what they are playing 

 with or studying. The narrative in the first person gives 

 less play to the fancy, and may be more careful and definite. 



Study of the Mallow in the Schoolroom. Too much em- 

 phasis cannot be placed on the helpfulness and importance 

 of the preparatory field lesson ; without it there can be very 

 little real study of the life of the mallow. A mere study 

 of the form and structure of the plant is of little value 

 to young children. 



From the plant growing in earth and in water, in the 

 schoolroom the protection and development of leaves and 

 flowers can be observed, but not as well as out of doors. 



