Camp Hain

006 The Secret Garden Chapters 21-25 Summary

• Tia Hain • Season 1 • Episode 6

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The Secret Garden Chapters 21-25 Summary & Discussion

In this episode of Camp Hain, Tia Hain summarizes chapters 21 through 25 of 'The Secret Garden,' a novel featured in the Classical Conversations Challenge A curriculum. Tia, who is the Challenge A director in her area, provides an engaging recap of Colin and Mary's discoveries and experiences in the garden, including Colin's significant progress in overcoming his fears and physical limitations. The episode also highlights the positive changes in the characters' lives brought about by the 'magic' of the garden. Additionally, Tia mentions upcoming episodes that will cover the final chapters of the book, as well as a detailed discussion on the Lost Tools of Writing curriculum.

Internet Grandpa
Chapter 21 - https://youtu.be/FDcjuCFxUXQ?si=kmEGD6aCLpAKLuOF
Chapter 22 - https://youtu.be/8MUHvUu3RDI?si=oKrfVqLM79yaLkAU
Chapter 23 - https://youtu.be/3VLurm4sOeA?si=zN3uepnW7ULv3Tky
Chapter 24 - https://youtu.be/J0GFKlF-D78?si=DjaDnWz8XkoZbjVA
Chapter 25 - https://youtu.be/FqBneqMYLmg?si=3_TFUdhsBUjwj9pC

00:00 Introduction to The Secret Garden Summary
00:36 Welcome to Camp Hain
01:20 Summary of Chapters 21-25
02:29 Chapter 21: Ben Weatherstaff
04:40 Chapter 22: When the Sun Went Down
06:45 Chapter 23: Magic
09:22 Chapter 24: Let Them Laugh
11:47 Chapter 25: The Curtain
12:58 Conclusion and Next Steps

006 The Secret Garden Chapters 21-25 Summary

[00:00:00] "What a wonderful thing for Mrs. Sowerby to think of. What a kind, clever woman she must be." That is what Colin and Mary think when Dickon brings fresh milk with cream and fresh currant buns to The Secret Garden for them to eat. The Secret Garden is the Classical Conversations Challenge A novel we will be summarizing today, chapters 21 through 25.

[00:00:23] Almost done! Two more chapters to finish in the next episode and the Lost Tools of Writing, issue ideas, and ANI chart ideas. You can find links to chapters 1 through 20 summarized in the description, but first... 

[00:00:36] Welcome to Camp Hain, the adventures of a Catholic family that homeschools, public schools, online schools, and has one super obsessed with baseball kid.

[00:00:44] Currently, I, Tia Hain, am the Classical Conversations Challenge A director for our area, so a lot of this podcast channel is related to that, for now, but I also post videos about math, mostly algebra, since that's what I tutor, and I also post videos [00:01:00] about our lives. We love our adventures, so come along for the ride and click the subscribe button or follow if you are a homeschooler or are thinking about homeschooling, or even if this content just interests you.

[00:01:13] And if you are on YouTube, give this video a like to help with the algorithm. There, I've said the things. Let's move on into the content. 

[00:01:20] Like I said, today I'm summarizing The Secret Garden chapters 21 through 25. We've already done 1 through 20. The next episode is going to be finishing summarizing the rest of the book.

[00:01:31] There's only two more chapters after this. I am not reading the book, as I've said in the other episodes. You can go to Internet Grandpa on YouTube for that. I will put links in the description. He reads the whole book. And then in the next episode, along with the last two chapters, I will be going over ideas for issues and for an ANI chart.

[00:01:55] That's from the Lost Tools of Writing curriculum. That is the writing curriculum [00:02:00] that we use in Classical Conversations at the Challenge Levels. And after the next episode, I will have a whole episode going over Lost Tools of Writing and how issues and ANI charts work. If you are interested in that, knowing more about Lost Tools of Writing, or just interested in some ways that you can help improve your writing, especially persuasive writing, I would tune into that episode.

[00:02:27] All right, let's get into the content. We are on chapter 21. It is called Ben Weatherstaff. The springtime in the garden made Colin feel so good he felt like it was all just for him. They moved Colin's chair under the plum tree and Mary and Dickon worked on the earth a little bit and Colin watched them.

[00:02:46] They were working in the garden. Dickon slowly pushed Colin's chair around the garden so Colin could see everything. They all saw the robin flitting about getting food for its mate, and that made Colin hungry, so he asked Mary [00:03:00] to have the servants bring him a basket. He said to have them bring it to the rhododendron walk, and they could bring it in to The Secret Garden from there.

[00:03:09] The sun was going down, and Colin said he didn't want to leave the garden, but he would come back the day after, and the day after, and the day after. After looking about, Dickon said something about Colin eventually walking and digging on his own. Colin then revealed that there was nothing really wrong with his legs, but they were thin and weak, and so he was afraid to try to stand on them.

[00:03:32] Colin then looked up and exclaimed, Who is that man? and pointed to the high wall. When they looked up, there was Ben Weatherstaff up on a tall ladder. Ben Weatherstaff was really upset, and when Mary tried to tell him that it was the robin who showed her the way, he got even more upset, saying, don't try and blame the robin.

[00:03:51] Then Ben stopped talking and stared, because Dickon had wheeled Colin over to right in front of him. When Colin yelled, do you [00:04:00] know who I am? Ben said, yes, because he had his mother's eyes. Ben had been very fond of Colin's mother and had worked on the garden with her. Ben had never actually seen Colin and was surprised that he didn't have a crooked back or crooked legs.

[00:04:17] That's how the book says it. Someone actually saying that out loud made Colin so upset that he called Dickon over to help and he stood up out of his chair. That actually made Ben so happy tears started streaming down his cheeks. Colin told Ben that he was the master when his dad wasn't there, and to come into the garden, Mary would go out and meet him.

[00:04:39] Okay, so that's the end of chapter 21. We are now on to chapter 22. It is called When the Sun Went Down. Colin was happy he could stand, and Dickon said he knew he could once he stopped being afraid, and Colin said he had stopped being afraid. Dickon said Colin was doing magic just like the magic that made the buds spring up out of the ground.[00:05:00] 

[00:05:00] Then Colin walked to the tree because he wanted to lean against it so he could continue standing when Ben came in. Mary had tried to explain to Ben as much as she could on their walk back into the garden. After a bit, Colin sat down under the tree and asked Ben what he did there.

[00:05:17] What he did on the grounds and at the house. He said he did anything they needed. And that they kept him on because she liked him, and he was referring to Colin's mother. Ben told them how he had been coming into the garden by climbing the ladder and going over the wall until his rheumatics got the better of him.

[00:05:35] He couldn't do it anymore after that. He had been trying to keep it up and looking nice since Colin's mother was so fond of it. Colin picked up Mary's trowel and started digging a little bit into the ground. And in his best Yorkshire accent, Colin said that first they would have him walking and then digging and now here he is digging.

[00:05:57] Tha' said as tha'd have me [00:06:00] walkin' about here same as other folk a' tha' said tha'd have me diggin'. I thowt tha' was just lenin' to please me. This is only th' first day an' I've walked an' here I am diggin'. 

[00:06:15] That was my best Yorkshire accent. Obviously not that great. 

[00:06:19] Ben got so excited he asked Colin if he wanted to plant a rose in the hole he was digging.

[00:06:24] Colin did, so Ben ran to get a potted rose. Colin wanted to plant it before the sun went down, so Dickon helped him dig a hole deeper. They all helped Colin get the rose planted before the sun went down. Then Colin asked Dickon to help him stand so he could watch the sun go down.

[00:06:42] And that was part of the magic. That's the end of chapter 22, we are now on to chapter 23, entitled, Magic. 

[00:06:51] When Colin and Mary had gotten back to the house, Dr. Craven had been waiting there. 

[00:06:55] Dr. Craven expressed concern about him being out so long, Colin [00:07:00] said he was going out again the next day. Dr. Craven said it would not be wise, and Colin said it would not be wise to try to stop me.

[00:07:08] When Dr. Craven had gone, Mary told Colin she was sorry for Dr. Craven for having to deal with such a rude boy for ten years. Colin said he didn't want to be cross. Then Mary said he didn't have to be, and that she and Ben Weatherstaff have cross dispositions, but they have learned not to be so rude all the time.

[00:07:29] Colin became convinced that he would stop being cross if he went to the garden, because there was magic in the garden. 

[00:07:37] Then Mary said, it's not bad magic, though. It's good magic, white as snow magic. From then on, they called the good stuff that happened in the garden, magic. The garden grew more and more and Mary, Colin, Dickon and Ben were there all the time. Colin spent almost every hour of every day out there, as long as it wasn't raining.

[00:07:58] One morning, Colin, Mary and Dickon [00:08:00] were in the garden and Colin sent for Ben to make sure all of them were there. Colin was standing underneath the tree and he decided to announce he was going to try a scientific experiment. He said when he grew up he was going to be a scientist and make great discoveries and he was going to start now with this experiment.

[00:08:19] Colin told them they were going to think and say positive things and see how those positive things worked magic to make things turn out positive. Colin wanted to see if this magic would help him be as strong as Dickon. Colin had them all sit in a circle and he talked about how the magic was in him and how the magic would help him and help everyone and that magic is in everyone.

[00:08:44] Then Colin decided to walk around the garden and everyone walked with him including the little creatures. The little creatures being the fox and the crow and the two squirrels and the lamb. They're still there. Dickon is still bringing them [00:09:00] to the garden most days. They were all in a procession around the garden.

[00:09:04] When they returned, Colin said the magic worked. He made it all around the garden walking. Colin said no one was to know about this until his father got back home because he wanted to surprise him. Then Colin announced he also wanted to be an athlete. All right, that's the end of chapter 23, so now we're on to chapter 24, called Let Them Laugh.

[00:09:30] Dickon also worked on the garden around his cottage, his home. During these times his mother would come out and talk to him. He started telling his mother about how Colin liked going outside. Then the children had decided together that it would be okay for Dickon to tell his mother about all that was going on.

[00:09:49] Mrs. Sowerby asked Dickon what all the servants were making of Colin looking better and better and being in a better mood. Dickon tells her that Colin keeps complaining a little bit here and there [00:10:00] just to keep them guessing even though he can't change how his skin is looking better. He still makes the footman carry him down to his chair and sometimes he has a fit on him.

[00:10:10] But one problem he has is that he is so hungry now that he keeps eating all his food and wanting to order more. But that is starting to make the nurse concerned and wanting to talk to Dr. Craven. And Colin doesn't want Dr. Craven to write to his father about what's going on. He wants to surprise his dad on his own.

[00:10:29] Colin thinks he should throw a huge tantrum, but he's not sure he can anymore. Mrs. Sowerby decides to help out by sending Dickon with a lot of fresh milk and cream and currant buns for the kids to eat so they can return their plates full of food so the servants don't get suspicious about him eating so much.

[00:10:48] Colin says how there is just as much magic in Mrs. Sowerby as there is in Dickon. Then he tells Dickon to tell his mother how grateful they are. Colin is becoming kinder. [00:11:00] Then Colin and Mary thought about how Mrs. Sowerby has so many children to feed and asked Dickon if they can send some of their money back with him to pay for the food that she's making for them.

[00:11:10] Then Dickon told them about how he had run an errand for his mother the other day and came across one of the strongest men he has ever known. He asked him how he got so strong and the man showed him how to do exercises that make him have more muscles, or as the kids like to call them, bigger lumps on their arms.

[00:11:27] When the children started sending food back again, Mrs. Medlock calls Dr. Craven. Mrs. Medlock mentions how the kids used to be so sour and now they laugh all the time. And Dr. Craven says if laughing is what's making him fatter, then let them laugh. All right, that's the end of chapter 24. Now we have chapter 25 called The Curtain.

[00:11:51] Everything was becoming wonderful in the garden. More things were blooming, and even the robins laid eggs. The children all [00:12:00] worked on their exercises so they could become stronger. Colin talked about how he wished his father would come home so he could show him how strong he was becoming.

[00:12:08] Monday it was raining and Colin was going a little stir crazy because he just wanted to move about, but he didn't want to show the nurse and Mrs. Medlock that he could. Mary got an idea. They could order away all the servants and they could go exploring all the rooms of the house that Mary had been exploring before.

[00:12:24] She said one room was so big that it was a gallery and Colin could run from one end of the room to the other all he wanted. After exploring and running, they were so hungry they ate all the food that was brought to them.

[00:12:39] They didn't have the food from Mrs. Sowerby to eat. That afternoon, Mary noticed that the curtain that Colin had kept over his mother's portrait was open and had been open for a while. He said it didn't make him angry to see her laughing anymore. In fact, he actually liked to see it. All right, that's the end of chapter 25.

[00:12:58] So if you like this [00:13:00] episode, give it a thumbs up. Let the algorithm do the work and I can make more and subscribe or follow for more if you want. Until next time...