io NATURE STUDY BY GRADES 



is wise enough to base lessons upon social activities familiar 

 to the child, and which, therefore, appeal to him. 



These natural motives, being so much stronger than the 

 artificial ones, should be appealed to most frequently, though 

 a few words of praise are often of great value and are pleasant 

 alike to the giver and the recipient. Seldom should blame 

 or threat of punishment be resorted to in an effort to secure 

 the attention and preparation required- 

 Psychology has revealed the wisdom of the Creator in 

 planting thus deeply in the child an instinct to investigate 

 things, and to get through his own experience a knowledge 

 of his environment. These original percepts are of the high- 

 est value and are absolutely necessary to his development 

 and welfare. 



It is a law of the mind that new things presented to it are 

 interpreted or understood by means of, and in proportion to, 

 the strength and number of impressions already in the mind 

 that are similar to those made upon it by the new thing pre- 

 sented. Thus, when we see a new animal, we classify it as 

 a bird, a fish, or a reptile, according to the characteristics it 

 has that correspond to our previous knowledge of birds, 

 fishes, and reptiles. 



The relative value of original percepts compared with im- 

 pressions gained entirely through the experiences of others, 

 is illustrated strikingly by a remark of a man who was born 

 blind. After hearing a discussion about the color "scarlet" 

 and a description of it, he exclaimed: "Oh I know what 

 scarlet is: it is like the sound of a trumpet." He had no 

 percept of color to interpret what he heard. 



The teacher's motive, therefore, should always include an 

 effort to get the child in contact, through one or more of his 

 five senses, with the things being studied. 



