When these children moved to an upper class, Mr. Bird was laid away, but the children requested his presence.  So he entered the new room and became a farmer.  He had now to write letters, to arrange rents, etc., and the money had to be made and counted.  The letters served for writing and reading lessons, and Miss Payne was careful to send the answers through the real post, properly addressed to Mr. Bird with the name of class and school.  Mr. Bird hired labourers, the children grew corn, and thrashed it and sent it to the mill.  A miller had to be produced, and the children, now his assistants, ground the wheat, and Mr. Bird came in his cart to fetch the sacks of flour, which ultimately became the Birds’ Christmas pudding and was eaten by the labourers, now guests at the feast.  In spring, after careful provision for their comfort, Mr. Bird went to the cattle market and bought cows.  Though the milking had to be pretence, the butter and cheese were really made.

The first question of the summer term was, “What’s Mr. Bird going to do this term?” Like other teachers inspired by Professor Dewey, we have found our children most responsive to the suggestion of playing out primitive man.  But with some, not of course with the brightest, it is too great a stretch to go at one step from the present to the most primitive times, and we often spend a term over something of the nature of Robinson Crusoe, where the situation presents characters accustomed to modern civilisation and deprived of all its conveniences.  Miss Payne is careful to give the children full opportunity for suggestions—­one dull little boy puzzled his mother by telling her “I made a very good ‘gestion’ to-day”—­so though she had not contemplated the renewed appearance of Mr. Bird she said, “What do you want him to do?” “Let him go out and shoot bears,” cried an embryo sportsman.  Somewhat taken aback, Miss Payne temporised with, “He wouldn’t find them in this country.”  “Then let him go to India,” cried one child, but another called out, “No, no, let him go to a desert island!” and that was carried with acclamation.  Mr. Bird’s various homes were on a miniature scale, and were contained in a series of zinc trays, which we have had made to fit the available tables and cupboard tops.  We find these trays convenient, as a new one can be added when more scope is required to carry out new ideas.

The following accounts taken from the notes of Miss Hilda Beer, while a student in training, show another kind of play where the children themselves act the drama.  The notes only cover a short period, but they show how the play may arise quite incidentally.

Mon., June 18.—­As the ground is too damp for out-of-doors work, if the children were not ready with plans, I meant to suggest building a railway station, tunnel, etc., and later, I thought perhaps we might paint advertisements of seaside resorts for our station.

But the children brought several things with them, and Dorothy brought her own doll.  Marie had left the baby doll from the other room in the cot, so Dorothy and Sylvia said they must look after the babies.  So Cecil, Josie and I swept and dusted.