Nature-Study at the Van Vlissingen School 



Geo. A. Brennan 



For many years nature-study has been an important study 

 in the Van Vlissingen School, and it has been of practical nature. 

 Roseland, the Chicago suburb in which the school is located, was 

 for years a farming community. It was settled by well-to-do 

 Hollanders in 1849. These people were expert gardeners, and as 

 a result, their farms and gardens were models, yielding sometimes 

 two and three crops a year. Home training has helped greatly 

 in developing a taste for this kind of work in their descendants. 



When Pullman was founded in 1880 on the shores of Lake 

 Calumet, many of the gardens and farms in the eastern part of 

 our school district were sold and subdivided into lots for the 

 building of homes. On the outskirts of the settlement from one 

 to three miles away, there are still many truck gardens of five 

 to twenty-five acres, and there are many vacant plots scattered 

 through the community. There is thus room and opportunity 

 for the children to obtain a practical knowledge of gardening 

 in addition to what the school can offer. 



Many of our people own their own homes, and they take pride 

 in having gardens and lawns; and this is also true of many who 

 rent. Thus the children are often able to give practical sugges- 

 tions to the other children and to the teachers. The following 

 course is in use at our school : 



KINDERGARTEN 



Walks, noticing trees, flowers, gardens, etc. 



Sense games. 



The use of nuts, seeds, etc., as material for decorations. 



FIRST GRADE 



Flowers, trees, leaves, fruits, nuts, etc. 



Window gardens. 



Winter bulbs. 



Progressive changes in winter. 



Germinations of seeds. 



School gardens. 



SECOND GRADE 

 Window gardening. 

 Vegetables grown in home garden. 

 Insect life. Collect cocoons to keep over winter. 



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