MAU] CHILDREN'S INTERESTS 289 



preferences are motor activity, sensory response, activity of the 

 object, utility, ownership and '"like it best." The motor activity 

 gradually wanes in kindergarten to grade 3 and the climax for 

 sensory response appears to be in grade 2. The nature of 

 the young child is sensory and motor rather than reflective; 

 activity is the key to the growth and development of the young 

 child. Interest in caring for the plant and cat overtops use and 

 function in kindergarten and grade 1, and construction overtops 

 use in kindergarten and grade 1 with regard to the engine. 

 "Beauty" as a reason for preference is far more dominant in 

 grades 2 and 3 than in the kindergarten and grade 1 ; use, func- 

 tion and purpose appeal to the child rather than form, size, color, 

 arrangement. There is greater variation in the reasons for pre- 

 ferring the cat. showing that there are more things in the animal 

 to appeal to the child especially in grades 2 and 3, where there 

 appears to be a marked increase in the animal interests. 



Interest in Relation to Age. 



From the point of view of children's questions, the plant 

 interests have been grouped under nine heads : identification, 

 activities of plant, life history, care of plant, color, sensory re- 

 sponse, use. geographical distribution and miscellany. It was 

 found that the dominant interests in the plant are in the growth 

 and activities of the plant and identification. Interest in identifi- 

 cation which is relatively slight in kindergarten, steadily increases 

 and exceeds that in the plant activities in grade 3. Care of the 

 plant seems to rank next and exceeds use by 10% in grade 1 ; 1% 

 in grade 2, and 3.6% in grade 3; color and geographical distribu- 

 tion are not mentioned before grade 3. 



The cat and bird interests, as they have been grouped, com- 

 prise a total of nineteen heads showing at once that the animal 

 interests are far more numerous and varied. These can roughly 

 be stated as activities of the animal, domestication, physical 

 attributes, life history, food, sex, name, sensory response, o\vner- 

 ship. miscellany. Those interests stimulated by the cat which are 

 not mentioned for the bird pertain to classification, use, adaptation 

 and moral qualities. Those included among the bird interests 

 which are not mentioned for the cat are identification, home, care 

 of bird, color, geographical distribution. The interests are in the 

 main, centered about the activities of the bird and the cat. Iden- 

 tification is in evidence to a striking degree in the bird and inter- 

 est in it increases rapidly from the kindergarten to grade 3. Care 

 of the bird seems to claim the greatest attention in grade 1 ; struc- 



