Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-27
GARDENS roR SCHOOL CHILDREN
interesting Educational Methods of
New York Suburban schools.


New York Suburban schools.
Almost everything from a lima bean to a
watermelon is raised by the pupils of New
York public school No. 50, Academy street
and Broadway, the Bronx. where each child
has his or her own garden. The desire to
see things grow has taken hold of all the
pupils Of this school, from the I-year-old
tots in the kindergarten to the members OF
the graduating class, and every day at
noon the 200 members Of the school are
busily engaged in ''weedin' an waterin' 80
their. respective plots, where they raise
a great variety of plants.
In speaking Of his success, Principal Kill
patrick said: The work has proven at
tractive and manifestly helpful to the
pupils. II is correlated with the school
work, especially in composition, nature
study and drawing. The several rows of
observation plots allow the children TO
actually see the plants and flowers grow
which they study about in the class
rooms.
Mature Is studied at close range. Com
position subjects are selected to draw out
expressions along the lines Of direct ex-
perience.
children who read, write and figure all
day are in danger Of Undertaking. the till
ing Of the soil. Childhood is the time to
instill tastes that must result in a whole
some desire to live upon, own and cultivate
a small piece at least of old terra firma.
This desire implanted must become a potent
influence for better future citizenship.
Great emphasis is placed upon individual
work. Each child owns his own plot and
is responsible for the crop"
Mr.. Fitzpatrick has, within the last six
months, succeeded in having gardens estab-
lished in eighty of the New York public
schools. The majority of these are in
schools situated on the outskirts of the
city, where there Is plenty Of spare ground.
He interested many prominent educators
and citizens in his scheme and formed the
School Garden association Of New York,
of which he is president. This association
has more than 600 paid members, who nave
made it possible for the eighty school gar
dens to be established.
There are gardens of all sizes, from the
little 2Ox20 foot affair which Miss Knox OF
public school No. 10, East Fourth street and
Avenue A., has to the one at public school
No. 90, which Is probably the largest and
most fruitful Of all.
/ DR.. John Il. Melville OF public school No
81, Queens. also has a large gard n in which
the pupils take a great deal of pride anC
interest. Here the teachers helo the chill
dren with their gardens, while at public
school No. % the kindergarten teacher IL
the only one who takes any interest in the
work. Ae a result of her supervision hel
little tots have gardens that in the ma.
jority of cases rival those Of the Older
pupils. J-
Probably the best school garden in the
country is the Fairview Garden school a
Yonkers, This Is also the largest, for Il
has zoo plots and always has a waiting
list of over SEQ, Although It is for schoo
children. II has no connection with any
school, and is supported and conducted by
Miss Mary Butler, the ~philanthropic club,
woman, who is president of the Woman's
institute, The children who are fortunate
enough to have a plot on this miniature
farm realize a nice profit from the sale
Of their products.