242 The Nature-Study Idea 



advisable to grow plants. In some cases, the 

 children can germinate a few plants, or even 

 raise them to maturity, on their desks. You 

 may have a yard in which a little can be done 

 in gardening. If you have none of these pos- 

 sibilities, then you can encourage the pupils to 

 grow plants and to make their observations at 

 home (which they should do anyway) and 

 report the results in school. You can have 

 them bring in such specimens as do not require 

 to be kept, and then "clean house" frequently. 

 In the planning of new school buildings, 

 ample provision should be made for nature- 

 work. The need of this is particularly appar- 

 ent in the country schoolhouses. In rural 

 districts, we must have a new kind of school- 

 house. A room or wing should be added for 

 work with tools and with nature objects; or a 

 basement may be provided; or, in many district 

 schools in which the number of children has 

 decreased, one end of the old schoolroom may 

 be partitioned off for this purpose ; or some good 

 outbuilding may be requisitioned. The school 

 premises of the new order must be provided 



