326 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [10:8— Nov., 1914 



Not only will these problems arouse the interest of the children, 

 but they will also be of great aid to the teacher in two ways ; first, 

 in selecting the facts to be taught in a lesson, and second, in organ- 

 izing them. 



In the very nature of the case nature-study deals so largely with 

 the things of the child's immediate environment that there is a 

 great abundance of problems in which children are interested. One 

 problem of almost universal interest, especially in the primary and 

 intermediate grades, is the means of identifying the common plants 

 and animals. In dealing with the beneficial forms of life one nat- 

 urally finds the problems of their value to man and their protec- 

 tion by man; and with the injurious forms, the problems of the 

 harm done and the methods of control. In gardening there arise 

 the problems of how to raise plants and what use to make of them. 

 Young children are interested in the problems of the use and care 

 of pets. And throughout the whole realm of Nature many other 

 problems of interest to children present themselves in great variety. 



State Normal School, GILBERT H. TrAFTON. 



Mankato, Mmn. 



News and Notes 



The Secretary of the Society is in receipt of letters from the Mer- 

 chants Association of New York City and from the Dean of the 

 Faculty of Education, University of Toronto, extending invitations 

 to the American Nature-Study Society to meet respectively in 

 New York and Toronto for the mid-winter meeting in 191 5. Ac- 

 tion will be taken on them at the coming meeting in Philadelphia. 



Current magazines are quite devoid of nature-study articles. 

 The war has driven them into retreat. Journals devoted to the out- 

 of-doors present some good things but all know where to look for 

 them in Outing, Bird Lore, etc. The October Catholic Educational 

 Review has an interesting article, ''A Plea for Nature-Study." 



The St. Louis section of the American Nature-Study Society 

 held its first in-door meet and annual election on Tuesday, Sept. 

 15, 19 14, in the Assembly Rooms of the Harris Teachers College. 



The business of the day was the reading of the annual report of 

 the Secretary-Treasurer, and the nomination of officers for the en- 

 suing year. 



