"Where Should Nature-study Come on the Program?" 



Mrs. Charlotte Gulick 



The Luther Gulick Camps 



Until we introduced gardening we had no stated time for our 

 nature work. Gardening gave an excuse for it. To learn nature 

 lore per se is not interesting to many children. Many people 

 believe that those who want to be studying and labeling every 

 thing are not the true lovers of nature. I have a friend who dis- 

 likes to take a walk with anyone who must identify every bird he 

 sees or hears. It robs him of the joy of the bird itself and its song. 

 The love of knowledge and the feeling one acquires through contact 

 with nature needs to be recognized and taken into account. Many 

 children hate learning names and yet enjoy the objects they meet. 

 It is a delicate matter to handle. We can so easily make them 

 dislike what we are trying to m.ake them love if we make too much 

 of a list making occupation of it. Learning about nature should 

 come naturally and joyously. I know of a father who loved the 

 sunsets and morning mists and mountain tops and was constantly 

 taking his little daughter with him expecting her to have on these 

 occasions the same thrills which he had, but she dreaded to go with 

 him and he was heart broken because his little daughter did not 

 love what meant so much to him. He was expecting her to have 

 experiences beyond her years. So it seem.s to me that we may 

 easily do harm — that there is considerable danger in this matter. 

 It is better to know one tree and love it than to know a dozen and 

 not love one. 



So, as I said before, gardening gave us many excuses for learning 

 about nature. Nature's secrets were unveiled unconsciously. 

 While cultivating the garden they heard the indigo bunting sing- 

 ing, and looking up saw it perched on the tip top branch of the 

 apple tree. Of course they were delighted and wanted to know 

 what bird it was. And when the bees were buzzing around the 

 corn tassles they wanted to know what was happening, giving 

 a wonderful opportunity for explaining one of nature's beautiful 

 secrets. Near the garden we have an old farm house whicli we 

 have converted into a living museimi. When a storm comes u]) 

 it is the natural place to gather. In the house there is a complete 

 collection of bird skins of all the birds the children will sec during 

 the summer, there is a microscope and there arc beautiful slides 



149 



