In the cupboard there are certain shelves from which anything may be taken, and some from which nothing may be taken without leave.  For the teacher here is of opinion that children of even three and four are not too young to begin to learn the lesson of meum and tuum, and she also thinks it is good to have some treasures which do not come out every day, and which may require more delicate handling than the ordinary toy ought to need.  For this ought to be strong enough to bear unskilled handling and vigorous movements, for a broken toy ought to be a tragedy.  At the same time it is part of a child’s training to learn to use dainty objects with delicate handling, and such things form the children’s art gems, showing beauty of construction and of colour.  Children as well as grown-ups have their bad days, when something out of the usual is very welcome.  “Do you know there’s nothing in this world that I’m not tired of?” was said one day by a boy of six usually quite contented.  “Give me something out of the cupboard that I’ve never seen before,” said another whose digestion was troublesome.  The open shelves contain pencils and paper, crayons, paint-boxes, boxes of building blocks, interlocking blocks, wooden animals, jigsaw and other puzzles, coloured tablets for pattern laying, toy scales, beads to thread, dominoes, etc., the only rule being that what is taken out must be tidily replaced.  This Kindergarten is part of a large institution, and the playground, to which it has direct access, is of considerable extent.  There is a big stretch of grass and another of asphalt, so that in suitable weather the tables and chairs, the sand-tray, the bricks and anything else that is wanted can be carried outside so that the children can live in the open, which of course is better than any room.  In the playground there is a bank where the children can run up and down, and there are a few planks and a builder’s trestle,[16] on which they can be poised for seesaws or slides, and these are a constant source of pleasure.

[Footnote 16:  See p. 55.]

In another Kindergarten we find the walls enlivened with Cecil Aldin’s fascinating friezes:  here is Noah with all the animals walking in cheerful procession, and in the next room is an attractive procession of children with push-carts, hoops and toy motor cars.  When we make our visit the day is fine and the room is empty, the children are all outside.  The garden is not large, but there is some space, and under the shade of two big trees we find rugs spread, on which the children are sitting, standing, kneeling and lying, according to their occupation.  One is building with large blocks, and must stand up to complete her erection; another is lying flat putting together a jigsaw; another, a boy, is threading beads; while another has built railway arches, and with much whistling and the greatest carefulness is guiding his train through the tunnels.  The play is almost entirely