20 
BY THE WAYSIDE 
BY THE W A Y S I D E 
Published ou the tenth of each month except July and 
August . 
The official organ of the Wisconsin and Illinois Audu¬ 
bon Societies. 
Twenty-five cents per year. Single Copies 3 cents. 
All communications should be sent to Miss Ruth Mar¬ 
shall, Appleton, Wis. 
NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS. 
The Course of Study. 
Now that we are beginning to under¬ 
stand what nature study is, the practical 
question arises, What shall be taught? 
It has been the aim in these columns to 
give some suggestions, based upon exper¬ 
ience, that will help teachers to answer 
the question. Out of the vast multitude 
of objects in the world which might be 
studied, select only those which have 
some direct relation to the child’s life, 
the consideration of which will help in 
better living and right action. To be 
very definite, here is a list of the subjects 
which should be included in a rational 
course of study. 
First, the domesticated animals, their 
use to man, their traits, their origin; the 
care they need, and the laws regarding 
their protection. The child’s natural 
introduction to this subject is through 
its pets. Few persons realize the enor¬ 
mous debt man owes to domesticated an¬ 
imals in his rise from savagery. 
Then, secondly, certain native wild 
animals, chief among which are birds 
and insects. Without birds man could 
not cope successfully with his insect ene¬ 
mies. The aesthetic appreciation of 
birds will come all in good time; first 
show their economic value. Every child, 
on leaving the grades, should be familiar 
with at least fifty native wild birds,— 
should recognize them easily, know some¬ 
thing of their song, their habits, and 
above all, their relation to man. Also, 
they should know the life histories of a 
few common insects and recognize the 
chief groups. " These facts should be 
known by practical experience in rearing 
and collecting them, and in watching 
them out-of-doors. They are the largest 
in species of all the classes of animals; 
among them are- some of man’s worst 
enemies, while others are well nigh in¬ 
dispensable to him. 
Add to the list the earthworm, so im¬ 
portant a factor in soil formation; the 
toad, so important an aid in keeping 
down insect enemies; and do not omit 
the tadpole stage of both toads and frogs 
when they are so useful as scavengers in 
the natural waters. 
The same considerations will deter¬ 
mine the list of plants for the nature 
study course. Every child leaving the 
elementary schools should know the 
common wild and cultivated plants of 
his region, especially in their relation to 
man. There are first the. grains, the 
trees, the garden and field plants, upon 
which we depend for food, clothing and 
shelter. Each child should recognize 
them by sight, should be shown their pe¬ 
culiar values, and the simple methods 
for their care. Then there are plant ene¬ 
mies, like the poison ivy, to be known 
that it may be avoided and destroyed. 
A large number of native wild plants 
should be known, and their habits and 
characters from actual field work. This 
list will include, of course, first, flowering 
plants and ferns. Here is the place to 
introduce the wonderful facts of insect 
fertilization and sex. Then there are the 
fungi,—bacteria, moulds, mushrooms,— 
an enormous number of parasites and 
saprophytes, plants which play an 
enormously important role in the world. 
The small size of many of them does 
not rule them out; and it is quite within 
the realm of the elementary school to 
show some of their effects in producing 
fermentation, decay and disease. 
Continued on last page. 
