214 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [10:6— Sept., 1914 



tell what he has found out, go with him if necessary, he will assist 

 you to bring some of the outside worid into the school room to 

 enliven that "information lesson" you intended to take with your 

 class. 



"I should not try directly to teach young people to love Nature so much as 

 I should aim to bring Nature and them together and let an understanding and 

 intimacy spring up between them." — Burroughs. 



"And he wandered away and away 

 With Nature — " — Longfellow. 



' ' I wandered lonely as a cloud , ' ' 

 "When all at once — " — Wordsworth. 



"We need but eye and ear, 

 In all our daily walks to trace, 

 The outlines of incarnate grace 

 The hymns of gods to hear. — Wordsworth. 



II. The efficient training of the child must always be kept to 

 the front. Only that which he actually accomplishes through his 

 own activity will be of much value. In discovering the truths of 

 Nature by the Nature-Study method we ought to expect him to 

 become more patient, persistent, careful, thoughtful and considerate 

 as a result of this eifort. 



Lead him to go through all of the following steps as frequently 

 and efficiently as you can and be very perservering. Use any of 

 Nature's material that is near at hand, that most of the children 

 are coming in contact with and may be led to take an interest in. 



(a) Observing — actual seeing is the first step. Do not be 

 satisfied with the casual, indifferent look, but the "stop, look, 

 listen," the stepping aside or drawing cautiously nearer, if necessary 

 in order to look more closely. This is the interesting, inquisitive 

 kind of looking that Nattire-Study always encourages in the hope 

 that it may grow into a habit. Some teachers are content to have 

 the children just report what they have seen on the way to school 

 in the morning, taking a few^ minutes each day or perhaps taking 

 the reports for the week on Friday afternoons. This is not satis- 

 factory for three reasons: It becomes tiresome after a time. 

 They report indefinitely and imagine things. Observing is only 

 the first step, and to be effective, must be followed through the rest 

 of the processes. 



. (6) Inquiring — the inquiring mind is most essential. Follow 

 the observations with questions. Lead him to ask himself ques- 

 tions when out wandering. He knows that "teacher" will not be 



