ose. The inside of the box should be
painted to prevent warping and leaking. An "ocean blue" is a good color,
as it makes a good background for islands.

If no table is available, a goods box may be turned on its side, the top
covered with oilcloth, and a frame, made from the cover of the box, fitted
around the edge. The inside of the box may be used as a closet in which to
store tools and materials, and a neat appearance given to the whole by a
curtain of denim or other plain, heavy material.

ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS

One of the most valuable uses of the sand table is in making illustrations
for stories, historical events, and similar topics in which the relations
between people and places is important. No definite rules can be laid
down for working out such illustrations. The conditions under which they
are made, the time to be devoted to the work, the importance of the
subject, all affect both the nature and the quality of the work. Any
material which lends itself to the purpose should be called into service.

The method of procedure is best set forth by describing several problems
as actually worked out by children.

[Illustration: FIG. 46.--A home in Switzerland. Second grade. Columbia,
Missouri.]

(1) =Story of Columbus=--_First Grade._

_Materials Used._--Paper for cutting and folding, twigs for forests,
acorns for tents, large piece of glass for ocean.

_Details of Illustration._--The piece of glass was imbedded in sand in the
middle of the table; one end of the table represented Spain, the other,
America. The representation of Spain included:

"Castles in Spain" being large houses with many
windows in which the king and queen lived. They were cut from paper.

Many people, cut from paper, including kings and queens and the
friends of Mr. Columbus who came to tell him "good-by." The kings and
queens were distinguished by royal purple robes and golden crowns and
necklaces, produced by the use of colored crayon.

The three ships made from folded paper. In one of them sat Mr.
Columbus.

Fishes, of paper, inhabited the hollow space underneath the glass.

The forest primeval was shown on the American side by green twigs of
trees set very close together. On pulling apart the leaves and
peering into the depths of this forest, one found it inhabited by
bears and other wild beasts, also cut from paper.

The Indians lived in a village of acorn tents set up in a li