CHILDREN OF MY TRAIL SCHOOL 171 



coyotes and owls and listening to their playful cries 

 and calls. 



The unfortunate attitude of the parent was an 

 obstacle to every outing. Many were thrown al- 

 most into a panic when a trip for their children was 

 proposed, and too often carne out of the panic to 

 condemn such excursions with all the vehemence 

 of old error. Each new parent on the scene exhib- 

 ited a misunderstanding of the outdoors. 



We never had a serious accident, never were at- 

 tacked by bears or any other wild animal, and 

 never did a child even catch cold. These facts, 

 together with the enthusiasm of the children for 

 such outings and their obvious development, won 

 out. 



We discouraged the collecting of specimens, but 

 we encouraged the bringing in of a mental record — 

 an account of the day's experience. From now on 

 we shall provide a book and encourage each child 

 to write down the most important experience of 

 the day as a part of the outing round. I should 

 have done this long ago. I have lost many happy 

 accounts. 



A few unusual specimens collected by the chil- 

 dren have been preserved for their natural history 

 association and their nature room. In this room 

 they hold meetings. If a child comes upon some- 

 thing deemed rare, something that will be of gen- 

 eral interest, he is encouraged to bring it in for the 

 nature room. One afternoon the association unani- 



