262 Bulletin 159. 



summer planting of flowers. On the 23d of September the teacher in one 

 of the grades had a flower show in her room. 



Many interesting compositions and drawings have been received by chil- 

 dren who had the tent caterpillar under observation during the spring 

 months. In this case they rear the tiny caterpillar from the eggs, watch its 

 growth during the larval stage and change of skins, see it go to sleep a 

 crawling hairy creature, and after remaining a time a pupa, see it resurrect- 

 ed into a being with wings. This lesson, showing the four periods in the 

 life-history of insects having a perfect metamorphosis, has shown the child 

 what many learned judges and wise statesmen have never seen. We are in 

 receipt of many creditable compositions and drawings showing the different 

 transformations. 



Nature-study can be made elastic. In the kindergarten it can be ideal- 

 ized so as to approach a fairy story. It can be intensified as the grades 

 advance so that in the high school it will have all the solidity of pure 

 science. 



Summer schools. — The summer schools for teachers held by the 

 Department of Public Instruction have been kindl}^ opened to us 

 for nature-stud}' work. At the Chautauqua school last summer 

 we supplied two teachers. The number of teachers who sought 

 this instruction and performed laborator}^ work was about 80. The 

 State Department also gave efficient instruction in similar lines. 



At Thousand Island Park about 60 teachers took the work. 



At the Ithaca school about 50 teachers were enrolled in nature- 

 study work. 



The best proof that the nature-study idea is bearing fruit is the 



fact that teachers are now asking for definite instruction in 



this subject. .We are proposing, therefore, to offer a serious 



course in nature-stud}^ to school teachers at Cornell during the 



coming summer. This is probably the first specific nature-study 



school to be organized in this country. It has a special 



high-class faculty. It is designed to teach nature-study 



in insect life, 

 in plant life, 

 on the farm. 



General results. — Aside from all these means of pushing 

 the nature-study idea, members of our staff visit teacher's organ- 

 ization, by request, and write for the press. We have also had 

 the cooperation of many leading educators in all parts of the 

 country. In fact, the enthusiasm with which the work has been 



