298 NATURE STUDY. 



On the other hand, if teachers are compelled to take 

 up, in the earlier work in nature study, material toward 

 which they may have a decided aversion or antipathy, 

 such as earthworms and spiders, this feeling is likely 

 to be shared by the children, and will tend to make 

 all the work in nature study distasteful. 



Teachers who are beginning this work will find it 

 wise to study and be largely guided by the interest of 

 the children. If some child has a pet squirrel in which 

 he and his playmates are interested, have him bring it 

 to school, and let the children watch it for a few days, 

 studying its habits, the use of its different parts, and 

 the way in which they are fitted for the work they have 

 to do. Their interest in the squirrel thus aroused, the 

 teacher and children can read about its home in the 

 woods, and study some of its relatives, the other 

 gnawing animals. Thus the squirrel may be the start- 

 ing-point for a series of lessons on animals. Do the 

 children come with a story of the robin's nest with its 

 little blue eggs which they have discovered ? That may 

 be a good starting-point for the spring bird study. 

 The wise, tactful teacher can, of course, stimulate and 

 guide this interest by apparently following the children 

 when she is really leading them. 



In the earlier work in nature study the writer has 

 always found the interest of the children to be the best 

 guide in the selection of material. If it was found 

 unusually difficult to interest the pupils in the material 

 selected, then, in general, that was not the best material 

 for those pupils. If they were unusually alert and 



