ahearne] nature-study IN THE GARY SCHOOLS tJl 



physics, chemistry, domestic science, and manual training has its 

 observers. The work of all these departments is sometimes 

 slightly modified to come within the scope of the younger observers. 



The nature teachers take a great number of field trips; all-day 

 trips on Saturday and shorter trips during the week. 



Mr. Wirt, our superintendent, encourages the keeping of live 

 animals. At the Emerson building the boys of the manual train- 

 ing department built a pigeon house large enough to accommodate 

 nineteen pairs of pigeons. Then four boys and the principal of 

 the building clubbed together and bought the pigeons. They raise 

 many squabs and sell them and divide the profits. While the 

 boys that own the pigeons are responsible for them, all of the other 

 children learn about them, both from the nature-study side and 

 the commercial side. A similar scheme for raising chickens will 

 be started at the Jefferson school this spring. 



They also have about ten rabbits, two coyotes, two foxes, 

 several squirrels, raccoons, prairie dogs and crows. All of these 

 animals have large roomy outdoor cages built by the manual 

 training boys. In the class room proper they have several pairs 

 of ring-neck doves, guinea pigs, parrots, mice and other small 

 animals and birds. They also have a large aquarium for fish 

 and several tanks providing homes for turtles, frogs and clams. 



All the classes that come to this room whether for physiology or 

 zoology learn about all these animals and birds. Connected with 

 the intermediate and upper grades also is a large garden. The 

 botany teacher has charge of this garden as well as the conserva- 

 tories in different parts of the building. The children do the 

 greater amount of work in watering the flowers, repotting and 

 transplanting. The garden is begun toward the end of April. 

 The children plan their gardens in the school room and under the 

 supervision of the teacher or older pupils lay out and plant them. 

 In one garden this year the children were allowed to keep the 

 produce of one-half of the garden and the teacher" sold the produce 

 of the other half. The garden department in the Gary schools 

 must be self-sux-)porting in about the same degree as the manual 

 training and domestic science departments are. 



The gardens are begun during the regular term. Wc have a 

 three weeks vacation between the closing of school and the opening 

 of summer school. The gardens arc out-of-door laboratories. 

 The children look after them all summer under the direction of 



