COURSE IN NATURE-STUDY, EUGENE FIELD SCHOOL, ST. LOUIS, MO. 



(As Outlined By W. J. STEVENS, Principal) 



Underlying Principles 



i. Activity is the result of the action of forces as truly 

 as that the motion of bodies as explained in physics is 

 the result of forces. 



2. The forces that produce social activity are desires. 



3. The desires that nature-study seeks to develop are : 



a. Desire to acquire facts 



b. Desire to discover truths from these facts 



c. Desire to convey knowledge of facts and truths 

 Aims 



1. Activity of the individual pleasurable to himself and 

 valuable to society, secured by : 



a. Accumulation of facts regarding the objects and 

 processes of nature, and adapted to the experiences 

 of the children 



b. Assistance, in a very limited way, in the discovery 

 of truths from a comparison of facts 



c. The exercise of the desire to convey facts and truths 

 to others 



Subjects Treated: Health lessons (from books — method not 

 that of nature-study) ; plants; animals; inorganic nature. 



Instruments : Text-books on hygiene ; the school garden ; 

 vivaria; aquaria; the school museum; special skill and interest 

 of individual pupils. 



Correlations : Geography ; language ; drawing ; United 

 States history ; home improvement. 



The major part of the work in nature-study will center 

 about the school garden. This will be laid out so that there 

 will be a bed for each room in the school, to be regarded as its 

 individual property. There will be a path around each bed 

 wide enough to accommodate a considerable number of pupils 

 as they stand about the bed when a lesson is being given. 



Each room will decide what shall be planted in its garden. 

 It is recommended that annuals mentioned in the readers or in 

 geography work for the year be cultivated so that pupils may 

 become familiar with these plants. 



In the three highest grades, it may be found interesting to 

 learn as much as possible about the domestication of the food 

 and fiber plants that are grown. 



