THE PRINCIPLES OF NATURE STUDY 47 



direction must take the form of general principles ap- 

 plicable to any region. The fundamental principle is to se- 

 lect the natural objects of most common experience those 

 that thrust themselves upon the observation of everyone. 

 For example, in a wooded region no natural object is more 

 common than a tree, and in every region trees are at least 

 associated with parks, or streets, or dwellings. It happens 

 that tree studies call for somewhat special treatment, es- 

 pecially with lower grades, but they are not to be avoided 

 on that account. Tree studies are discussed as a topic in 

 Part Two. In an agricultural region the prominent crops 

 are most conspicuous, and in every region the common 

 garden plants, useful and ornamental, are available. 

 Everywhere there are the insects, and domestic animals, 

 and some birds, and simple physical materials in abun- 

 dance. It is often useful to discover the experiences of the 

 pupils, making a list of the natural objects that have at- 

 tracted their attention, and taking advantage of these con- 

 tacts for a beginning. Naturally the conspicuous objects 

 in many neighborhoods are much alike in a general way, 

 and an outline for one school may be fairly applicable for a 

 neighboring school, but there are always differences in 

 detail to be provided for. For example, while trees w r ill 

 doubtless be included in most outlines, the conspicuous 

 and easily available trees of different regions are apt to 

 differ widely. 



In addition to neighborhood differences in material, 

 there are neighborhood differences in the experiences of 

 pupils. The country child or village child is apt to have 

 cultivated a considerable acquaintance with certain plants 

 and animals, both wild and domestic, while the city child 



