WINTER EARTH STUDY. 515 



HOW THE CHILDREN STUDIED SOIL-MAKING. 



The following account, written by Mrs. C. L. Place, then 

 teacher of geography at the Teachers' Training School at 

 St. Paul, Minn., will show how one teacher conducted a 

 field lesson. 



4 'The children of the second grade had watched the opening of 

 the buds, and had talked of the beauty and use of the leaves whose 

 growth they were watching, when the question arose as to what be- 

 came of the leaves after they fell from the trees. Their teacher said 

 they should go with her next day, and find out for themselves. 



That night each child took home a little note, asking if he might 

 go with his class to the river for a field lesson ; and at the time for 

 opening school the next afternoon, the whole class boarded the 

 street-car. 



After a half hour's ride, the point was reached where the teacher 

 had found the conditions favorable for the lesson on the formation of 

 soils. Down to a grove at the foot of the bluffs the class went, and 

 at once the dead fallen leaves attracted the children's notice. The 

 teacher's only directions were to dig, and as soon as anyone thought 

 he had found the answer to whisper it to her ; on no account was he 

 to tell anyone else what he thought he had discovered. 



Like little beavers, too busy to think of running off to play, they 

 digged. Then one after another, with a cry of delight, ran to whisper 

 to the teacher. She went from group to group, directing this one to 

 a better place to dig, encouraging that one by telling him that his 

 answer was in plain sight ; and after about fifteen minutes of hard 

 working and thinking, every child had discovered for himself, and 

 had told the teacher, that the leaves ' broke all up, and mixed with 

 the sand, and made dirt.' 



Into each basket was put a bit of loam in process of making, to 

 prove to parents the new-found fact. Then the children were led 

 along the foot of the bluff, talking of the strange fact, until the sand 

 attracted their attention. The teacher said, ; I wonder where the 

 sandy soil comes from ; ' and as she spoke she picked up a piece of 

 the soft sandstone, and crumbled it in her fingers. Instantly the 

 answer came, 'Why, the rocks crumble and make it.' A little far- 

 ther on the eager scientists came upon a pile of clay soil, with lime- 

 stone bits at the foot of limestone cliffs. One child said, * Here is 



