mcconathy] child study IN NA TURE-STUDY , 49 



Third Grade 



Fall, (i) Grasshopper as to structure, habits, adaptation, to environ- 

 ments, food and enemies. (2) General "shiftlessness" of insects and 

 consequence. Bee and bee-hive studied. (3) Learn to know common 

 trees by leaves, shape and branching of limbs, bark, etc. (4) Dissemina- 

 tion of seeds. Make collection of seeds and simple classification. (5) 

 Continue study of birds. 



Wi}iter. (i) Study coal — physical properties of carbon in charcoal, 

 coal graphite, etc. (2) Combustion — conditions necessary. (3) Warm- 

 ing and ventilation of home and schoolroom. Expansion of air by heat. 

 Air currents. (4) Evaporation and condensation. Clouds and precipita- 

 tion. (5) Expansion of solids and liquids by heat. (6) Study of ther- 

 mometer. (7) Study of some fresh- water fish. Its breathing. (8) Study 

 of soil — origin and kinds. (9) Water. Work of running water (erosion). 

 Work of frost and ice. 



Spring, (i) Study of bee continued — rearing of young, life history, 

 hive secrets, treatment of queen, drones, ventilation, cleanliness and 

 swarming. (2) Interdependence of plants and insects. Cross-fertiliza- 

 tion and advantage to plant. (3) Study of slopes. Gradual hills. Steep- 

 mountains. (4) Study of brook. Water divide; basin; three slopes; 

 valley; bed; current (slope of channel) ; banks; water-fall. 



CHILD STUDY IN NATURE-STUDY 



By W. J. McCONATHY 

 Principal of Normal School, Louisville, Ky. 



In pursuance of a series of experimentations with children for 

 the purpose of testing their abihty to use their sensory nerves and 

 association fibres of the brain in the study of physical facts, the 

 following lessons were given : On October 2 1 , 1908, before a class 

 of pupils, from seven to nine years of age, in the second year in the 

 primary school. 



I picked up a tumbler which was lying on the desk, and hold- 

 ing it mouth upward, asked the pupils if there was anything 

 in it. All answered. No! When the tumbler was held with 

 the mouth down, some said there was air in it, but none would 

 admit that air was in it when held with the mouth up. I then 

 put a small piece of paper on the water in a large open-mouth 

 glass jar partly filled with water, and plunged the tumbler down 

 into the water over the paper. The children were allowed to 

 gather about the desk and watch the experiment. They all saw 

 that the water did not fill the tumbler. When asked why, nearly 

 all answered that there was air in the tumbler and that the water 

 could not get in. One little bright-eyed boy said that the carving 



