AN OUTDOOR LESSON ON TREES 235 



of outdoor trips for their children and are beginning to 

 indulge in them quite frequently. In many instances 

 teachers about to take out their children for a day have 

 inquired of the writer how to go about giving a general 

 field lesson when they reached the park or woodland. The 

 purpose of this chapter is to answer such a question and 

 yet it is evident that it cannot be answered completely. 

 What to observe out doors and how to present one's impres- 

 sions is a broad question and varies with the knowledge 

 and ability of the teacher as well as with the age and experi- 

 ence of the children. The how and the what in nature 

 study is of greater import than the hard, dry facts and that 

 must be left entirely to the teacher. A few suggestions, 

 however, may not be amiss : 



1. General observations with a view to character build- 

 ing: First of all it is important to remember that the 

 great value of all tree and nature study is the inculcation 

 in the minds of the children of an appreciation and love 

 for the beautiful. Inspiring them to love trees generally 

 means more than teaching them to know trees. Mere 

 facts about trees taught in an academic way are often no 

 more lasting than the formulae in trigonometry which most 

 of us have long ago forgotten. The important thing is 

 that permanent results be left and nothing else will produce 

 such lasting impressions as the study of trees out of doors. 



General observations about trees can be made by 

 pointing out the beauty and character of the individual 

 forms and branching, their harmony in their relations 

 to each other as factors of a beautiful composition and the 

 wealth of shades and colors in their leaves, bark and flowers. 

 Compare, for instance, the intricate ramification of an 

 American elm with the simple branching of a sugar maple, 

 the sturdiness of a white oak with the tenderness of a soft 



