Some Experiments with Regard to the Rela- 

 tive Interests of Children in Physical 

 and Biological Nature Materials 

 in the Kindergarten and 

 Primary Grades 



Laura Emily Mau. 



Introduction. 



The time has come when nature study can no longer hold a 

 rightful place in the curriculum by the mere organization of the 

 work on principles that have been established and agreed upon 

 by nature-study specialists. Xot until we have farther investi- 

 gated the matter and discarded the chaff by careful laboratory 

 methods and the application of laboratory technique will sound 

 and basic principles evolve upon which to outline a course of 

 study in this subject. 



The importance of beginning our investigations with children 

 at the earliest ages available cannot be emphasized too much if 

 the young child is to receive its rightful place in the educative 

 process. It is his birthright. Thus far the kindergarten has 

 scarcely been considered in the investigations carried on in the 

 elementary grades, and if its influence is to be felt in higher edu- 

 cation, the work in it too must be based on scientific principles of 

 education. 



Physical, chemical and biological facts constantly come under 

 the modern child's observation at a very early age. and the separa- 

 tion of nature-study into physical and biological is merely a 

 matter of convenience of treatment and does not mean that con- 

 scious abstraction is begun by the child. 



Purpose of the Investigation. 



An investigation was made to show the different attitudes 

 children take toward three phases of nature materials ; namely : 

 plant life, animal life and physical nature material, and to see if 

 some determining factors could be thus found to aid in the selec- 

 tion of work for the different grades. The investigation was car- 

 ried on: (1) With regard to the relation of age and sex to the 

 kind of object preferred; (2) To determine what the cardinal 

 factors are in determining the preference; (3) To determine what 

 the dominant interests are in each phase of material in the differ- 

 ent grades. 



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