hem much more intricate than she would have
attempted to use as classwork. Their instinct for exploration led them to
struggle with the directions until they had worked out some designs which
would have proved dismal failures had they been attempted as class
lessons. In this instance those who belonged to the persevering group were
happy in a new-found sense of strength and independence, while the others
had accomplished as much as any would have done under the dictation
method.

=Furniture.=--The problem of furniture for the school playhouse has been
discussed in numerous publications, and nearly every writer on the subject
of primary handwork offers suggestions on this topic. The suggestions
include a range in materials and processes from very simple foldings in
paper to quite complex processes in reeds and raffia and methodical
construction in wood.

Among the various materials and styles in common use, folded paper
furniture has the advantage of being quickly made. The process is of
sufficient interest to little children to hold their attention, and in
order to secure the desired result they must hear the directions
intelligently and obey them promptly. These are desirable habits to form.
It is quite possible, however, for the work to be done in a very formal,
mechanical way, in which the children merely follow directions, often
blindly, without any clear purpose and very little thought. Success or
failure is due largely to chance; for, if by accident even a good worker
"loses out" on a direction, his work is at a standstill until special help
is given. He is unable to proceed because he does not know what to do
next. There is very little opportunity in such a process for independent
thought or action. It is not self-directed activity.

A second objection to paper furniture is its lack of stability. Paper
which is pliable enough to fold readily will not hold its own weight long
when made into furniture, and very soon becomes wobbly. To overcome this
tendency to wobble, heavier papers are often used and new complications
arise. Heavy papers do not fold readily without scoring. Scoring demands
considerable accuracy of measurement--often to a degree beyond the power
of a six-year-old. The stiff papers, being hard pressed, are harder to
paste, and neat work is often an impossibility, unless considerable
assistance is given.

It is possible to make satisfactory furniture in a great variety of styles
from stiff paper,