SPRING NATURE STUDY. 577 



tures on paper or slate. Outlines showing the seed push- 

 ing out of the ground, pricked by the teacher, and sewed by 

 the children, may help in impressing the appearance of the 

 seed as it comes up into the " wonderful outside world." 



LESSON IV. GETTING FOOD. 



Preparatory observations. Continue 'observations on 

 growth and branching of roots in glasses. Dig up carefully 

 one of the plants in the ground (do not pull it up), with all 

 the soil about its roots, place in water, and move gently back 

 and forth to wash off the dirt without breaking off the fine 

 rootg. Observe the root system. 



Watch the changes in the thick cotyledons. They spread 

 apart after their work of protecting the bud is done. Is that 

 all their work ? Note how they wrinkle and shrivel, get- 

 ting smaller and dryer. In from four to six weeks they 

 drop off. Cut off cotyledons from two or three young 

 plants in glass jars. In a few days these plants die, while 

 those with the cotyledons may thrive. 



How Mother Bean feeds her babies. Talk about how 

 mother must feed the baby, and how the children go to 

 their mother when hungry. Some of them may bring some 

 lunch to school in a bag. How does the bag look when they 

 have eaten the lunch ? How does an orange look when they 

 have sucked out the juice ? Wrinkled up. Try to have 

 them see and tell that the cotyledons are the lunch boxes, 

 filled with the best kind of food, which Mother Bean placed 

 there for the baby plant to feed on until it was old enough 

 to get food for itself. As it grows, it uses up this food, 

 "sucks it in," and the lunch boxes wrinkle and shrivel up ; 

 when the food is all gone they drop off. If the lunch boxes 

 are taken away before the baby can get food in some other 

 way it dies. 



