Nature Study.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13655, 25 July 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

Nature Study.

WHAT IT DOES FOR CHILDREN. (Gi G.' Lewis in London "Daily Chronicle.") Very gradually the ediicationel shackles which'.bound teachers have been released. Instead of cast-iron cocfes.. specimen syllaDi were given with encouragement to araw up schemes to : suit, the special circumstances of the school. Teachers were not slow to take advantage of the freedom, granted. They knew that children learnt better from things than from books or even pictures, and aide by side with.the cry of "Back to the land" for the fathers, ■ came the new creed of "go to Nature" for the little ones. . A School Nature Study Union formed, with Sir G. Kekewick as president, now includes over 1,000 secondary, and elementary teachers, thanks ■to ' the indefatigable exertions of its hon. secretary, Mr H. E. Turner. Besides supplying its members with a wealth of literature, it provides them with lectures by. practical experts in the winter, "and"; nature rambles in the summer. • ' The London County Council have established a special department at Eltkam for the s"- of plant specimens, but this does not nearly meet the demand, and; scores of schools, are dependent on the personal efforts of the teachers, or the help of voluntary associations -like that of the Hon. Cordelia Leigh, for their teaching material. What is .

Nature Study? Wherein does it differ from botany, zoology, or any ( oth«r of the natural sciences?

Briefly put —it resembles, the difference between practical work in the' laboratory and theoretical instruction in the lecture theatre. In the latter case, the student is'expected' to assimilate a large mass of information,' in the laboratory he investigates and observes for himself. He may learn less in a given time, but what he does learn will have a sure foundation—and the training of the laboratory is infinitely more valuable than that of the lecture theatre. ■ Practical chemical work is obviously unsuiled for yoiing children, but the laboratory method of careful observation, description and deduction, can be supplied to plant and animal- life,, and this method of dealing with the natural sciences constitutes Nature Study. Such work is suitable for quite little children, and all the-best infant-schools include i* in ' their time-tables. ; It is rapidly-finding its way into the boys' and girls' schools, "especially into the lower classes, where it is v found to. be an excellent preparation for the more "scientific " work of the leaving standards, beside having a remarkably quickening effect on the child's mind generally. . A Typical Nature Study Lesson.

Teacher will line thirty test tubes or tumblers or jam jars, with a piece of blotting paper, slip a pea between the glass and blotting paper, pour in a little water and in. a. few days the baby pea will.start germinating. T,hen a glass will be given to each pair of children and they will be asked firsb to sketch the pea, and then. to describe, it in their own words, orally in the case of the little 6 or,. 7 year olds. If wise, the teacher wiE do little'but direct the-conversation or help, a child where its limited vocabulary does not allow of adequate description. Next week the child will have the sahie specimen, , and. he will not only sketch and describe, but also be able-to Compare the growing pea of to-day with the newly germinated seed of the week before. :'•:■■•'•■■■■. •

Such a'piece of." apparatus" will provide practical lessor.6 for five or six weeks, for the gradual development of the growing pea plait can be' observed day ■ by day—the little root striking down to ..tlio,.water, and the stem, shoptjng up far above the top of- the . vessel -to the' light and air above.- '/ ■, ■ •'■■ The child will,learn-much niore about the baby pea in those-, six lessons, and in most-cases his curiosity will prompt him to- perform similar experiments at home, which he can easily- do. The actual ' knowledge .gained is by no means inconsiderable, but. it .is . small compared with the effect on the child himself. He has a new interest, lie learns to observe'carefully, describe accurately. and also to express: W'hat he sees with pencil or brush. From this point the teacher can pass to other seeds^—the bean, orange, sunflower,, vegetable marrow, and then in succeeding years seeds may be grown under 'varying' conditions of light, heat, and foods. This is only one of a large number of Nature Studies at the teacher's disposal. - The opening of the buds, unfolding of the leaf—the flowers—fruitsseed' dispersal, all provide interesting and instructive lessons in due season.

Observation of Animals. > The animal kingdom is none the less fascinating, and here it should be stated that the good teacher is careful to avoid the slightest approach to cruelty or unkindness to the animals observed. Animals are. not cut up to ascertain their structure, but if. kept in captivity they are carefully fed and tended. Their devolepment, life, and habits are the points Thus tadpoles, water snails, arid, caddis "Worms" may be kept in aquaria well treated by a stock of pond weed. A frog or newt may spend a pleasant if somewhat restricted life in the tray of water or on the damp moss of a vivarium. Caterpillars will be fed on their favourite - ; food, and the subsequent change to pupa and imago eagerly watched. The great advantage of all this work is that .'■-.•■ » The Child

Can Follow it up on his own account. Many boys and girls become little specialists in some form of plant or animal life. The caddis in particular has a fascination for young naturalists, some of whom will scour the ponds around to secure a good variety of cases. A corner of one of the Highgate Ponds was quite thick with caddis that made their cases of match sticks thrown iff by passing smokers. Needier to - say, these were taken to school in high.glee, but unfortunately though Cockney born, they would not thrive in a London school aquarium so well as reed cased caddis from Richmond Park. The Rocks - - of London. Animal and vegetable life do not exhaust the life of Nature . Studies. Boys in particular delight in stone-breaking. It is surprising what a number of rock specimens can be obtained by young enthusiasts without going a mile from thenLondon doorsteps. , Here is one .boy's list: From the Street: Road metal (riiorite) ; chippings from tram seta (granite); flagstones (sandstone). From Excavations: Clay, gravel, sand. From the Stonemason: Marble, alabaster, oolite limestone. From the Oilshop: Pumice and greensand. .... • From the Coal-cellar: Goalshale and iron pyrites. A boy who has made such a collection near home will keep a sharp look out for possible additions when he gets farther afield..' One' boy taking a walk along the Embankment discovered a "Portland screw" fossil in a piece of oolite cut away from Blackfriars. Bridge.; : Next Saturday several boys made several journeys to secure similar specimens. " Yes," says the business man, " all very well. " But a naturalist is of no use in my office. • I want a lad who can spell write a good hand, and reckon up a column of figures accurately." Granted.

But -the great thing is to get a boy interested in study of any sort. Most boys have to be-made' to do sums, spelling, grammar, and geography. Nature Study appeals to young children, and the interest evoked can be easily directed towards drawing, spelling, composition, and georaphy, which link tip quite naturally with Nature Study. Onco establish the habib of careful observation with steady, persistent work, and the drier subjects are tackled with greater ease and success. A boy need be none the worse writer or arithmetician for having need Nature Study as an educational spring board, and ho is likely to develop into a more keen, alert, and intelligent youth. He certainly will not be any the worse, morally or physically, with in interest which call's .him from the smoky town into the clear air of the country.