286 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [8 :8— Nov., 1912 



Types and Location of Schools, Grades and Number 

 OF Children. 



The investigaton was made in the Chicago schools and the 

 location of schools and the types of children were such as to 

 give us representative data. The following schools represent the 

 distribution : Elementary school, School of Education, Chicago 

 University; John B. Smythe, known as the "Ghetto," Forest- 

 ville ; The Carter Practice ; The Parker Practice ; Van Vlissengen ; 

 W. K. Sullivan ; Myra Bradwell ; Washington School at Lyons, 

 a suburb ; and the Hyde Park Baptist Kindergarten. The investi- 

 gation was carried through four grades, viz : the kindergarten, 1st, 

 2nd and 3rd grades. Two experiments were made and responses 

 were received from 1,988 children^n the first experiment (Test 

 A), and 2,085 children in the second experiment (Test B). 



Materials. 



In order to have comparable materials it was necessary to 

 make the selection so far as possible equally attractive in exciting 

 the spontaneous attention of the children. The materials selected 

 for Test A were: (1) a pepper plant with many red peppers on 

 it; (2) a gray cat; (3) a toy engine about eight inches long and 

 five inches high with very complete works. 



The materials selected for Test B were: (1) a sensitive plant; 

 (2) a turtle-dove in a cage; (3) two bar magnets and iron filings. 



The Nature of the Experiments. 



The nature of the experiments may be stated briefly. To 

 make the approach simple and direct, the following questions 

 and instructions were decided on for Test A. (1) If you could 

 choose one of these three things for your very own, which one 

 would you choose? 



Why? 



Now you may ask any question which you would like to ask 

 about any of these three things. 



For Test B it was decided to have the children take active 

 part in the experiment, i. e., feeding the bird, touching the sen- 

 sitive plant so its leaves would suddenly close, and picking up 

 the iron filings with the magnet. Then after a large enough 

 number of children had participated in this, to take the materials 

 away and let a week intervene before coming back to the room 

 for tl'/e questions they wanted to ask. 



