Fairbanks] NATURE-STUDY IN CALIF. 165 



the elementary school the effort should be not so much to impart 

 information as to inculcate a general interest in and familiarity 

 with nature. Facts about the soil and what it produces and the 

 relation of these to life is for the child only a part of the infinitely 

 varied world phenomena about him. He does not distinguish and 

 set by themselves the facts of agriculture any more than he does 

 facts about the animals, or of physical phenomena. 



Two vears since a committee of educators after a discussion as 

 to the place of physical science in the elementary school recom- 

 mended that this subject be taught, but in an informal manner 

 without a text -book in the hands of the pupils. This is another 

 step in the right direction, but as yet seems to have borne little 

 fruit. Each county superintendent lays out his course of study 

 from his own personal viewpoint and as a result we find almost as 

 many variations in the course of study as there are counties in the 

 state. About 10 counties make some reference to the teaching 

 of physical phenomena in the upper grammar grades, but no 

 more than two or three outline any regular work. Experiments 

 are recommended, but these are to be performed by the teacher 

 after the manner of physics of years ago, instead of being devel- 

 oped from the interests and experiences of the pupils. The city 

 of San Francisco makes no reference to the study of physical 

 phenomena in its elementary-school course, while Los Angeles 

 introduces a little work defined as "physics and chemistry" in the 

 fifth grade. 



We see, then, the pupils in nearly all the schools of the State 

 passing out of the grammar grades with almost no introduction 

 to the phenomena of the physical world about them. This is un- 

 fortunate for those who go no farther than the grammar school as 

 well as for those who enter the high school. The first, embracing 

 the larger number, never acquire the outlook upon their physical 

 surroundings which they should have ; and the second, from their 

 lack of elementary training, find the science of the high school 

 more difficult. 



Nature-study as developed in this State, and in most others, is 

 predominently organic; but except for the work in agriculture 

 it exhibits little plan or system. It is given without any regard 

 to the problems of geography with which it is in reality so closely 

 bound up. 



