FALL PLANT STUDY. 347 



Third. How are the flowers of the mallow like little 

 boys and girls ? Look at them in the morning, at noon, 

 and in the evening, and try to see how and when they go 

 to sleep, and when they awake. 



If the teacher tells these things herself, she will miss an 

 excellent opportunity to interest the children, and set them 

 to work investigating for themselves. It is helpful to 

 encourage the children, or each child, to " find out " the 

 answer to these " riddles " for themselves, and to tell what 

 they discover to no one but the teacher. 



The Field Lesson. When planning a field lesson, three 

 points should be kept in mind : 



First. The aim, to bring the children into sympathy or 

 in touch with nature, through the study of that part of na- 

 ture in which they have been interested. 



Second. The conditions out of doors, where the children 

 are at home, where they must have greater freedom than 

 in the schoolroom, and where it is more difficult to keep 

 them at definite work, and to hold their attention. 



Third. The necessity of giving each child something 

 definite to find out for himself, and of interesting the chil- 

 dren so that each will try to find out the most and have 

 the greatest number of discoveries to tell. 



As a preparation for the field lesson, gather up the 

 answers to the three "riddles." 



Give to all of the members of the class such general 

 Questions as the following : What is the mallow good for ? 

 Is it just a good-for-nothing weed ? (To bring out the fact 

 of its covering the dirty waste places and beautifying the 

 Sarth. ) Does it stand up straight ? or does it creep along 

 the ground ? How long does it grow ? How much or how 

 many times longer than the arm of the children ? 



Give to different children, or to different groups, such 

 topics or questions as the following : 



