ARE CHILDREN NATURALLY NATURALISTS? 



By MAURICE A. BIGELOW 

 Teachers College, Columbia University 



[Editor's Note. — It is certain that many readers will decidedly dis- 

 agree with statements made in this article. The writer hopes to get 

 from readers their frankest answers to the questions raised.] 



For years we have heard the argument that nature-study and 

 high-school science should emphasize the biological, because 

 * 'children are naturally interested in living things and very little 

 in the lifeless. ' ' But is it true that the majority of young children 

 are spontaneously interested in study of living things, that they 

 are by nature naturalists? Are not their apparent interests 

 largely reflections or imitations of the interests of their elders? 

 Some illustrations will show the origin of these questions, which 

 must seem decidedly heretical to most teachers of nature-study 

 and biology. 



Two children of my acquaintance have long been regarded by 

 myself and many others as remarkable examples of children's 

 spontaneous interest in nature-study. Especially have they 

 seemed to have a never-failing interest in keeping pets, rearing 

 insects, and carefully observing animals and plants. Recently I 

 have had an opportunity for getting more closely in touch with 

 the children themselves, and to my great surprise I have found 

 convincing evidence that very much of their apparent interest in 

 living things is not at all spontaneous ; but on the contrary, it is a 

 direct imitation of the interests of a parent. Many of their 

 nature-studies which I had taken to be as spontaneous as play 

 were nothing more or less than definite tasks set by the parent, 

 and the children showed plainly that they regarded them as tasks 

 easier but not far different from learning lessons in school. 



Another case : I visited many times a fifth-grade class which 

 was intensely interested in study of birds. I never saw a nature- 

 study class reach such mountain tops of enthusiasm, and it seemed 

 certain that it was an interest which would be carried away from 

 school. Summer passed, and in September the new teacher, at 

 my suggestion, instructed the pupils to write me letters describing 

 any bird studies made during their vacation in the country. Two 



