

1 78 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [5:7— oct., 1909 



and tells us it is not true. What shall we believe? Let us stick 

 to the old, old axiom: "Seeing is believing." We can be pretty 

 nearly sure that what we see is at least near being so. 



But to return to my subject. First, let us not be misled as to 

 the aim of the study: To cultivate observation and expression 

 yes, and also to strengthen the imagination. We will get far less 

 out of it if we fall short there. x\ctual knowledge should be 

 acquired. Facts learned. Love for nature instilled. Here, as 

 elsewhere my favorite text appears — one which I should like to 

 ha ve every teacher engrave on the walls of her memory : ' ' Know 

 what you are going to teach and know when you have taught it." 

 Know what you are going to teach. Do not think: "We will 

 have a nature-study lesson today." Say: "I am going to study 

 the frog today. There things I will teach"; and so lead the 

 discussion that these things are brought out in the strongest 

 possible manner. 



So much for the object of the lessons in nature-study. Now as 

 to the material to be used. Here is where we so often fall short. 

 It is like the sailor shipwrecked in mid-ocean, — "Water, water 

 everywhere, and not a drop to drink." Everything about one 

 for study and nothing to use. My advice, and I wish to make it 

 strong and urgent, is to use the things at hand; do not consider 

 anything too trivial. No locality is too poor for good nature-study 

 work; and right here in the selection of material is where we 

 make such dire failures, and is, I think, what is accountable for so 

 much wishy-washy nature-work. Here is a school-house located 

 in a block where there is a grove of trees ; the teacher in her spring 

 stud}- of animals talks about bears and wolves and mountains 

 and oceans. Here is a school-house located five miles from a 

 drop of water and the teacher, following some good (and I use the 

 word advisedly) nature-study outline, studies muskrats and 

 beavers and sand pipers. 



This is where we err, by following any outlined nature-study 

 manual. A man in New York cannot write a text on nature- 

 study which will fit the teacher in Iowa. We must study our 

 environment and our children. What are the children to be? 

 Are they to be farmers? Then study the things which will help 

 them to be good, intelligent farmers, the best possible. Show them 

 the kinds of soil, what it produces, its composition, etc. Are 

 they to live in cities? Then show them the benefits of pure air, of 



