Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-03-13
The Children's Garden.
lFrom ladies Hons J0rnal.l

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applies equally rs well to small people
rs TO large ones. If you give the child
rem something TO do, and teach them 10
do it well. as everything ought to be
done if worth doing at all. You will be
helping them 10 form a habit which Will
be of gleat benefit to them in later life.
1t IS not a difficult matter TO get
children interested in work if YOU will
take little trouble. which ought 10 be
pleasure instead of trouble. to talk
with them about it. Show them that
you are interested. if you want to enlist
and arouse their interest. Unless you
do that, You might as well not undertake
1t. If there are things about which they
do not understand, explain them 10
them. Never set them TO work and al
low them 10 go on with it ignorantly
If you do they will fall into slipshod
way of doing things, because much of
what they do must be done on the guess
work principle; and what persons are in
the dark about is generally done poorly.
Talking over work with the children,
gets them into the habit of investigating
and learning the ''whYs and wherefores'
of things for themselves. When boys
and girls ask questions which show a
desire for information of useful and
practical character, never put them off
| by .elling tkem 'that children should
not ask questions. Encourage them to
ask sensible ones. That is the way in
which they gain a great deal of tho in
/ formation which they need, for they can
not acquire il all by simply keeping
their eyes open, as some seem to think.
/ But this is not what / set out 10 talk
about. ! had little class in gardening
thu past summer. and | was so we'll
pleased with il that propose to tell the
4 boys and girls who read this department
of the Journal about it, hoping that
they will become Interested enough TO
yet up classes OF their own. Such a
thing can be done in almost any neigh
borhood. | had some seeds AID plants
that had no use for, and one day |
/ gave some to one of my neighbor 5
children who was fond of flowers. She
tn mixed me for them, and said II don't
know how, TO take care of them, and
mother is too busy to show me. If you'd
let me watch you, may be | could learn
how"
OF course | was glad to be watched
in that way. and as | worked IN my
garden took pains to explain how and
why certain things were done, and She
became so interested that she brought
some other children with her to watch, :
gave some seeds to all Of them, and
encouraged them to start a little gar
den. / told them that in order to grow
good plants one must take good care OF
them, apd that few plants, well-cared
for, were more satisfactory than great
many poorly grown. If they gave them
the care they required. they would afford
them a great deal of pleasure, aDd 9th
ers as well, and they would have The
satisfaction of knowing the garden was
their own. They would be proprietors
of something. and / find that child
greatly enjoys a sense of proprietorship
They are always pleased with RESPONSE
bilty. They were enthusiastic over the
idea. The boys were as much interest
ed as the girls, and agreed to perform;
the hardest part of the work if they
would take them into partnership in
their gardening operations The conse-
fquence was that the children CT half a
dozen or more families had gardens OF
their own last summer, in which flowers
and vegetables were grown, and grown
well. am very glad to say.
| suggested, one day. that they might
have flair in the fall The idea de-
lighted them greatly, and they worked
in TIER little gardens with greater eher-
gy and interest after that, each one be-
ing determined to Guido the other. The
far was held in September, in a
woodshei. and it lasted for two days,
during which time nearly every one in
the neighborhood visited il. 1t Was very
creditable. | assure you. The young ex-
hibitors were very important persons,
for it was their lair, and The far OF the
season, in their opinion. Some OF us
grown-up children arranged premiums
for the exhibits, and we contrived 10
give nearly all prize of some sort, thus
encouraging them to make greater et'
forts next year. Some of the flowers
would have done credit to profession
al, especially the Astors, of which there
was great show. One little girl had
devoted her whole attention to bed OF
pansies, - cause they seemed so folksy,
she told me, and she had plate OF them
on exhibition which out did anything in
my garden, greatly to her delight.
} Now these children learned a great
deal by their experiment in gardening
| took pains to explain things to them,
SO that they might work understanding
" and inrelligently. They became in
! terested in their work, ard an interest
) of this sort is not likely TO die out, for
:be more we work among flowers the
more we love them. They are pure,
ennobling companions, and believe
they will make the lives OF these chill
dren better as well as brighter. They
kept the little fingers that tended them,
out of mischief, | have no doubt. and
helped the little proprietors TO form in
dustrious habits. The summers work
was training-feld for larger UNDER
takings, first step ID the right direc-
ton.
1t would be well to study botany dur
ing the winter, and obtain the rudi-
ments well mastered by next spring, so