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Then what infinite variety in the snow crystals; what marvelous silky beauty in the blocks of "frost coming out of the ground;" what delicate traceries on the lower side of the ice from beneath which the water has dried away; what exquisite tapering outlines of the leafless twigs against the background of the cold, blue sky!

Birds now are to be observed, but they do not confuse by their numbers. Winter birds seem to say, We are worth your careful study, therefore there are few of us.

Go frequently to the winter fields and woods, to the marshes, and into the mazes of the swamps where you cannot so easily go in summer; go to see things, and for the sake of long walks; go alone and with companions; in sunshine and in storm; go with that elasticity of step, that joy of heart and brightness of eye that only winter can produce.

Then go again.

"For many years it has been one of my most constant regrets that no schoolmaster of mine had a knowledge of natural history, so far at least as to have taught me the grasses that grow by the wayside, and the little winged and wingless neighbors that are continually meeting me with salutations which I cannot answer, as things are. Why did not somebody teach me the constellations, too, and make me at home in the starry heavens which are always overhead, and which I do not half know to this day."-THOMAS CARLYLE.

"The true naturalist is a true poet. Into his mind the influences of natural scenery, of natural history, unconsciously sink down. There is an unmentionable bliss in the unrecognized sympathy which goeth forth toward all things into which He hath breathed the breath of life. The scent of the opening buds; the sad, soft sighing of summer winds; the unobtruding kaleidoscope of floral form and color, scattered so freely and bountifully; cannot these get hold of the soul of a man! One feels constrained to adopt the language of the principal talker among the favorite disciples- Lord, let us build three tabernacles,' etc. The disciple was in no hurry to depart."-DR. J. E. TAYLOR, in "The Playtime Naturalist."

CHAPTER XIX.

GIVE THE YOUNG OBSERVERS A CHOICE

Nature study should be spontaneous on the part of the pupil. To most pupils nature study is a privilege and a pleasure. To these it is a very simple matter to make it a tonic and not a task.

But the problem comes when we regard the few who do not regard it as a privilege or a pleasure, and the few larger pupils in the class who, perchance, may regard the bringing in of specimens or the telling about them as "kiddish" as I once heard a boy express it.

Or

If there is a certain period assigned to nature study, shall this period be merely one of laziness or indifference on the part of these few? That is a question that often confronts a teacher. shall certain pupils be allowed to hold entirely aloof from the informal work, even if there is not a definite nature-study period?

It is true that nature study should be a pleasure, and it is a pleasure to most pupils, but this does not annul the fact that it should be required.

To attain both ends, I have found it convenient to make a threefold assignment, from which a choice may be taken :

1. Bringing in a specimen and telling where it was obtained, with statement of any interesting facts connected with it.

2. A story of entertaining truths that I have seen, read or been told, about natural objects.

3. Assignment of some topic to be investigated from books or other sources of information. Thus, for example, asbestos has been for the past weeks a timely topic, because it has been referred to so frequently in the newspapers in connection with theater curtains, since the fire that caused so great a loss of life in the Chicago theater. Radium is another good topic. The pupils should tell what they have read or heard regarding this wonderful metal. The teacher corrects any wrong impressions that the children may have acquired, and states any facts of interest she may have readily obtained from the many popular articles in various periodicals.

By this method of choice in nature-study work or interests, the pupils have no odious task to perform, neither is the period one of shirking, nor an exhibition of laziness on the part of a few.

CHAPTER XX

PROGRESS BY AVOIDING REPETITION

(Extracts from a letter.)

Whole classes are taken out on clear days to the woods, fields, stream, hillsides, and gorges to observe and enjoy Nature. When out on these rambles they collect various things of interest and bring them back for further study.

In this study we aim to connect it with other studies in such a way as to give added life and meaning to them. These excursions, wheat, corn, trees, etc., are made the themes for compositions. Thus we give the children something to write about that they have seen and experiencedthe only theme that a child can tell of intelligently. Nature poems are learned and recited in connection with the objects studied. Nature songs are sung in school. These compositions written by the children are neatly written out and kept in a composition book. The books are passed on from grade to grade each year, so that each teacher may know what has been done by the grade she has during previous years, and thus avoid repetition, which kills interest. This method enables us to progress in the subject from grade to grade.

My aim is to teach those things which have some influence upon our lives in some way or another. Thus we study plants and animals useful to man, also plants and animals which, directly or indirectly, are a detriment to man's interests.

The æsthetical, ethical, and religious growth comes with contact, but is not directly alluded to, for preaching kills.

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