ABSTRACT
A spirit of freedom and mutual respect on the part of both teachers and children was as apparent in these groups as in the older. Each child came to see that orderly self-direction in his activity was essential to group effort: he learned to stop pounding because it interfered with the group's story-telling, even though he didn't choose to join the activity of the group. As play is the child's natural avenue for expression, a teacher must consider his knowledge of the physical and social world about him with its materials and relationships. It was found that the preparation for, the eating and clearing away of the mid-morning luncheon gave a continuous set of activities affording many opportunities for self-management and initiative in which the youngest child gradually came to competent control of the whole procedure. At the end of each quarter, each group teacher reported on the work of the group.
