Sinclair] TIME REQUIRED FOR NATURE-STUDY 123 



yesterday in the Ottawa Model School a number of boys of about 

 nine rears of age, in the second grade, had a half-hour lesson on 

 seed planting and at its conclusion undertook to make the seeds 

 which they had planted grow. During the next three or four 

 weeks they will have a half-hour lesson each week, devoted 

 to a statement of the discoveries they have made regarding their 

 plants and the difficulties they have met with, and also to a con- 

 sideration of ways of overcoming these difficulties and to a fuller 

 investigation of heat, light, soil and moisture conditions in relation 

 to plant development. Another half-hour per week will probably 

 be occupied in the discussion of such phenomena as the coming of 

 the birds and the melting of the snow, and to the explanation of 

 nature references found in the current class literature. 



It may be urged that such work has always been done in 

 schools. In reply it may be said that where such is the case the 

 requirements of the new regulations are being carried out, and this 

 is no doubt being done in an unostentatious and effective way in 

 many schools. It is probable, however, that most readers have 

 cause to remember with regret schools which they themselves 

 attended, where more than one hour per week was wasted in 

 memorizing abstract and meaningless definitions and records 

 which have since been found to be incorrect, where no attention 

 was ever paid to birds or plants, trees or flowers, the glory of the 

 sunset or the matchless grandeur of the heavens or indeed to any 

 of the living realities of existence outside the schoolroom, and 

 where instead of forming habits of observation and appreciation 

 of the objects about them, the pupils formed habits which caused 

 them to ignore all material things as commonplace and to move 

 through realms of profoundest mystery and intense attractiveness 

 with blind eyes and dormant sensibilities. It is to be feared also 

 that such schools have not yet entirely disappeared. 



Nature-study reinforces other studies. It will be found that 

 one hour per week occupied in nature-study is not really taken 

 from other subjects if the work be properly correlated. For ex- 

 ample, in objective drawing the first step is to gain an accurate 

 knowledge of the object to be drawn. The time usually occupied 

 in doing this is saved if the object has already been investigated 

 in nature-study lessons, and experience shows that children prefer 

 to draw such objects rather than those with no previous interest. 



In conclusion it may be said that there is good reason for the 



