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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 7, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 19.

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  • Gardening for Church Schools

By Lula Tarbell-Leary

DON'T neglect the school garden this spring. Many duties press themselves into the daily program, as spring makes its appearance, but not one is more important than the garden. If you have never tried to have one, be sure to begin this year; if you have tried and have not been just as successful as you wished, try again.
The school garden pays. It brings the pupils in contact with nature, and helps interest them in the realities about them. It makes practical many of the lessons studied indoors, and above all, if it is, as it should be, a missionary garden, it is a means not only of interesting the children in missions, but also of adding dollars to this great work.
Possibly there is good ground for a garden on the property of the school; if not, often a kind patron near at hand has a small piece of land that he will gladly give for this purpose.
When neither of these can be secured, it has proved a very successful plan to encourage each child to have at his own home a small piece of land for his own garden. I have used the latter plan, and this is my method. As soon as it is warm enough to put in the garden, I present each child with a little bag containing a small variety of seeds. Evenings, after school is out, according to appointment, I go to the various homes, and help the children plant their gardens. Many, of course, do not need assistance, but do not neglect them; go and inspect their work, and encourage them.
After the gardens have been planted, and had time to make some showing, I spend a short time some morning during opening exercises telling the children how their gardens are progressing. A few Friday afternoons I use in making a special study of some of the favorite garden vegetables which the children have raised. Then they write out the lesson. After it is corrected, they place it in their note-books, with pictures and drawings.
The children deposit in their bags the pennies realized from the sale of their vegetables. Then when Harvest Ingathering comes, they are ready for it with their offering.
LULA TARBELL-LEARY.