NATURE STUDY 



4083 



NATURE STUDY 





cept of how the elementary studies which the 

 pupil takes up can be correlated. He includes 

 in this interrelation not only all of the natural 

 sciences but the exact sciences as well even 

 arithmetic. Taught as a science of quantity, 

 arithmetic can be developed as a corollary of 

 almost any other subject. In the measuring of 

 distance, computing areas, forming conceptions 

 of numbers and quantities, arithmetic is con- 

 .-tantly being used both in geography and in 

 nature study. For instance, in a fly-breeding 

 experiment, the boys and girls may work out, 

 mathematically, the increase in the number of 

 it result with each generation. In laying 

 out gardens, measuring trees their height, 

 breadth and thickness in counting seeds and in 

 numberless other ways exercises are furnished 

 which are all the more valuable because they 

 are not labeled as arithmetic. 



A garden, as such, is not necessarily a lesson 

 in nature study, but it may be made one, if the 

 boys and girls are taught what to plant and at 

 what season, why seeds are planted in some 

 cases and in other cases seedlings; or if they 

 study the weeds which they uproot, and ob- 

 serve the harmful and the helpful insects and 

 grubs. An interest in gardening may in some 

 eases lead to a genuine interest in agriculture. 



The Teacher. There is perhaps no study in 

 the entire school course which requires greater 

 ability on the part of the teacher. A leading 

 authority on methods of teaching this fascinat- 

 ing subject demands no less of the teacher than 

 this: 



"At least he must have the .nature sympathy 

 that every human soul needs to keep him near to 

 his highest self : response to the sun and the wind 

 and the rain ; to starry night and moonlit wood 

 to brook and lake and ocean ; to wayside flowers 

 to moss and fern ; to the smell of plowed fields 

 to the mystery of a seed ; to the glory of orchard 



in bloom or in harvest ; to level sunlit cornlands ; 

 to far-reaching timothy fields ; to the song of 

 early birds ; to the dawn of a new day." 



In brief, the teacher must have, above all, a 

 genuine love of nature. But she needs, of 

 course, more than this; she must have accurate 

 knowledge. This need not be obtained through 

 formal study. Many a teacher with the habit 

 of accurate observation and equipped with a 

 few good books has adequately prepared her- 

 self for such teaching. If she is a real nature 

 lover, with a genuine interest in her subject, 

 with eyes to see and with ears to hear, she 

 cannot go far astray or fail to take her pupils 

 with her. 



The Teacher's Equipment. The equipment 

 for teaching nature study is not costly. Books 

 are of first importance. There should be in the 

 teacher's library at least a good textbook on 

 botany, zoology, physiology, physical geography 

 and mineralogy, and several good general books 

 on the whole subject. Educational journals 

 will be found to contain much valuable mate- 

 rial, and the general magazines frequently con- 

 tain valuable information. A general reference 

 work, comprehensive but written in clear, sim- 

 ple language, should be in every school library. 

 Books of poetry should not be overlooked, for 

 they will do much to give the child visions of 

 beauty which he cannot express for himself. 

 The teacher will probably need for himself such 

 articles as a pair of field glasses, a jacknife, a 

 pair of shears and a botany can ; stout clothing 

 that will stand all kinds of outdoor weather 

 might very well be included in such equipment. 

 Perhaps the most important item of all is the 

 notebook, in which all of the outdoor observa- 

 tions should be recorded so they may be veri- 

 fied or accounted for later by means of refer- 

 ence books. 



Equipment for Nature Study 



One corner of the schoolroom should be fur- 

 nished with a table where the objects and speci- 

 mens win. -| i tho pupils arc constantly bringing 

 in may be placed and cared for. Such a table 

 could be put up by a carpenter or made by 

 some of the older boys of the school. If the 

 school board does not provide one, the mate- 

 rials could profitably be donated. In one coun- 

 try school the older boys brought lumber and 

 ich-a table, as well as a set of book- 

 -, a shelf for the dictionary and a number 

 T things. These boys had no manual 

 training, but most country boys can use tools. 



A Terrarium. There ought to be both an 

 aquarium and a terrarium. The latter may be 

 a new word to most boys and girls, so the 

 teacher should explain it* derivation. If a 

 regular glassed-in terrarium cannot be obtained 

 any bit of earth will do, though it is not so 

 effective a laboratory if no animal life can be 

 confined within it. The terrarium can be made 

 into a miniature outdoor world. First the bot- 

 tom of a box should be covered with stones, 

 as many different kinds as the childi 

 mil, ,-t. and a layer of soil should be ; 



iost of the surface. This soil can be car- 



