1 06 THE NA TURE-STUD Y RE VIE W [a : 3 _ MARC h, .906 



Let the children start slips from the plants at school to be taken 

 home when rooted. Let them plant morning glory and other flower 

 seeds to be transplanted to home gardens, or, if there is no home 

 garden, to small garden spots that can be made at home beside the 

 fence or porch or under a window. Let them plant tree seeds in 

 flower pots or boxes in the schoolroom, take care of the little seed- 

 lings until May or June and then transplant them to the home yard or 

 possibly to the school-yard. As Dr. Hodge suggests, give them in 

 March seeds of rapidly growing plants (such as the nasturtium that 

 will bloom before the close of school in June. Let these be planted 

 in flower pots or boxes at home and cared for by the children and 

 brought to school for a flower show in June. 



If possible have a school-garden, even if it is extremely small and 

 is owned by the whole school together. If the work of the garden is 

 done by the children, its influence will extend into some of the homes 

 of the children of the third and fourth grades if not into those of the 

 younger children. A garden (his own garden) is more all-absorbing 

 to a child of seven or eight than are mud pies to a child of five. 

 Have talks about gardening, keep the florists' gaily-illustrated cata- 

 logues in the rooms, they will prove quite as interesting and sugges- 

 tive as some of the supplementary readers. 



In the study of twigs and buds in the third or fourth primary 

 grades, root twigs of poplar and willow and transplant the resulting 

 young trees to out-of-school places where they can be taken care of 

 by the children. 



If practicable have various pets belonging to the children in the 

 schoolroom for a day or more for study — a canary, pigeon, squirrel 

 or rabbit, etc. Assign home observation of the children's pets and 

 of the domestic animals which the children see. Discuss with them 

 the best care for each of the animals dependent on man's kindness. 

 Kncourage the children in keeping pets and in giving them their best 

 care. 



These suggest some of the practical ways in which nature-study 

 may extend its influence beyond the school and obtain the coopera- 

 tion of the parents in the work. 



And this is not all. If nature-study stops here it falls short of the 

 aim set. Nature-study must make the child know the country. It 

 seems pathetic that a big Italian girl in a city no larger than Provi- 

 dence should have been able to say to the teacher : "I never knew 

 about the country. If you will tell me where it is I can get my 

 father to take me there Sunday." 



