“Report.—­The children wanted to make a tea-set, so we carried our clay outside.  They began discussing why their china would not be so fine as the china at home, and I said the clay might be different.  Then Bernard asked what sort of china we should get from the clay in the garden, and I told him that kind of clay was generally made into bricks, and suggested making bricks.  From that we went on to the use of bricks, and to-morrow we are going to dig, and make bricks to build a town.  Bernard is anxious to know how we shall make mortar.  Just then it started to rain, and Bernard said that if the sun kept shining and it rained hard enough we should have a rainbow, and he wished it would come so as to see the beautiful colours.  I thought this rather a coincidence, and told him I had a book with all the rainbow colours in it.  They asked to see it, so I showed it and suggested painting the colours ourselves.  Those who had finished their dishes started, and we talked about the richness of the colours.  One or two children started with very watery colour, so I showed them the book and began to paint myself.  They all enjoyed it very much, especially the different colours made where the colours ran into each other.  The results pleased them and they are to be used as wall-papers to sell in our town, but Sybil wants to have a toy shop, and she is going to make a painted circle for it like the one I showed.”

This is clearly the time to show a glass prism and to let these children make rainbows for themselves, to tell the story of Iris, and to use any colour material, Milton Bradley spectrum papers, Montessori silks, colour top, and anything else so long as the children keep up their interest.  The interest in colour need never die out; it will probably show itself now in finer discrimination, and more careful reproduction of the colours of flowers and leaves, and the sympathy given will heighten interest and increase enjoyment.

Here are some notes showing children’s numerous activities in a suburban garden where they were allowed to visit a hen and chickens.

“Monday[24]—­To-day the children took up their mustard and cress, dug and raked the ground ready for transplanting the lettuces.  After their rest we went to see the chickens at the Hall (the Students’ Hostel), and the Hall garden seemed to them a wonderful place.  They watched the trains go in and out of the station at the foot of the garden, and explored all the side doors, going up and down all the steps and into the cycle shed.  They helped Miss S. to stir the soot water, then they went to the grassy bank and ran down it, slid down it, and rolled down it.  They peeped over the wall into the next garden, they peeped through holes in the fences and finished up with a swing in the hammock.  Each child had twenty swings, and they enjoyed counting in time with the swaying of the hammock, and swayed their own bodies as they pushed.

[Footnote 24:  These notes are part of those already given on pp. 68-71.]