i8 ] What Nature Exploring Can Do for Your Child 



There is no end to the wealth of experiences nature holds in 

 store for you and your child. In a park you can see squirrels bury- 

 ing nuts, providing for lean times in a season of plenty. You may 

 observe a flock of wild ducks landing on a park lake for a stop- 

 over in their long flight from summer to winter homes. Bees, 

 butterflies, and ants have strange and wonderful ways that you 

 and your child can watch with fascination for hours. 



The diversion nature offers you is more exciting than any 

 invented by man, yet it is close at hand and costs you nothing. 

 In many suburbs you may look out of the window in the morning 

 and see a woodchuck nibbling its breakfast in a dewy field, or a 

 rabbit scampering across the lawn, purposefully headed for the 

 vegetable garden. You may watch spiders spinning silken traps, 

 or see an exciting tug-of-war between a robin and an earthworm. 

 In woodlands and meadows, in zoos and museums, there is even 

 more for you to observe. No television, radio, or motion picture 

 producer could invest in his productions the millions of years that 

 nature has spent in preparing these thrilling spectacles for you. 



The Best Approach To Exploring Nature 



What is the best method of exploring nature? The answer 

 depends on the individual child, for children vary in their 

 approach to nature's activities just as they differ in countless 

 other ways. One child is full of curiosity about plant and animal 

 life from the time he is an infant. Another is absorbed in fanciful 

 ideas, while still another has a mechanical bent, remaining oblivi- 

 ous of natural wonders until you bring them to his attention. 



And so exploring nature is not always a simple matter: It is 

 not just "knowing all the answers" or pointing out each tree or 

 bird that you see. A background of information is invaluable, to 

 be sure, but you must pass it on in such a way that you do not 

 overwhelm the child's own modest discoveries. Awareness is essen- 

 tial, but it should not be carried to a point where your child 

 considers you slightly eccentric. On the whole, the successful 

 approach lies in encouraging his inquisitiveness and providing 

 opportunities for him to satisfy his curiosity. 



