CHAPTER VTHE TEACHING OF NATURE-STUDY
When, at Christmas time, we search the shelves of a London book shop, to find fresh “Golliwog” adventures or new fairy tales, are we not struck by the importance given to another class of child’s book? “The Fairchild Family,” “Struwelpeter,” Hans Andersen’s tales, books that we were brought up upon, are superseded by a totally new kind. Anything relating to living things, birds, mammals, plants, wild flowers, fruit, is what we now give our children. In short, nature-study, and everything connected with it, is the fashion. It forms not only an important part of education, but it also is recreation. Possibly we encourage it as a reversion from over-much science and book-learning, which is apt to produce a somewhat unhealthy, overstrained, nervous condition. The philosophy of the “Simple Life,” which is preached so much, is a reaction from these abnormal conditions to the natural, healthy order of existence.
Up to now, we stand only upon the thresholdof these new ideas, we hardly realise the wealth and meaning of this new philosophy. We only know that a still greater use is in store for it, and that, through it, greater happiness will ensue for us. The right application of nature study and all that it embraces, to the education of children, is one of the most important developments of our day. All those who are ambitious for the prosperity of our future England should give very careful consideration to these matters. More and more we learn that the first endeavour of a school is to teach people to live. This new study tends to connect school teaching with life at home. By means of such schooling, our children acquire from earliest days habits of observation. They appreciate all wonders and beauties of natural objects around them. Lovely wild flowers on our downs, many grasses in our meadows, clouds, stars, all become real friends.
Obs:the wild clematis.Ther: reg. 70½°.July 12thObs: smut on oats.It is a small blackpowdery fungus.Bar: reg: 30-1/20°Ther: „ : 68°.July 13thObs a chrysalis of the horse bot fly.Obs evening primrose in a hedge.Bar: reg: 30-1/20°.Ther: 91°s74shA PAGE FROM A BOY’S NATURE STUDY SKETCH-BOOK.A PUPIL OF MR. J. P. WILLIAMS. HURSTPIERPOINT, SUSSEX.(See opposite Plate.)
Obs:
the wild clematis.
Ther: reg. 70½°.
July 12th
Obs: smut on oats.
It is a small black
powdery fungus.
Bar: reg: 30-1/20°
Ther: „ : 68°.
July 13th
Obs a chrysalis of the horse bot fly.
Obs evening primrose in a hedge.
Bar: reg: 30-1/20°.
Ther: 91°s
74sh
A PAGE FROM A BOY’S NATURE STUDY SKETCH-BOOK.
A PUPIL OF MR. J. P. WILLIAMS. HURSTPIERPOINT, SUSSEX.
(See opposite Plate.)
Love of nature, which familiarity with her beauty breeds, is not only wholesome for children of the upper classes. It is good for them, but more especially do we need an increase of such knowledge amongst the poor little waifs and strays of our great cities and towns, who have so few bright moments in their dull grey lives. If these nature study classes can help them, should we not do our utmost to encourage more ladies totake up this form of study in order to impart it to them with sympathy?
Wild ClematisSmut on OatsStag Beetle.A PAGE FROM A BOY’S NATURE STUDY SKETCH-BOOK.A PUPIL OF MR. J. P. WILLIAMS, of HURSTPIERPOINT, SUSSEX.
Wild Clematis
Smut on Oats
Stag Beetle.
A PAGE FROM A BOY’S NATURE STUDY SKETCH-BOOK.
A PUPIL OF MR. J. P. WILLIAMS, of HURSTPIERPOINT, SUSSEX.
Then, too, in our country villages, is it not wise to foster in young people a love of everything connected with country life? Will it not help largely to induce them to remain on the land and not migrate to the hardships and squalor of crowded towns?
The two chief aims of education are to draw out individuality and personality. This is certainly accomplished with success when we see representations as are shown herewith from a child’s nature study diary.
We in England are sadly behind Germany and America in this branch of education. It is only a short time ago that children in our schools were encouraged to bring objects from out-of-doors into the schoolroom for examination. They were asked to make collections of lichen, ferns, or wild fruits; and what charming devices one has seen, wrought by ingenuity out of all these lovely things. Now, however, we have made a decided stride, for by means of school gardens, which gradually replace the dreary bit of asphalt playground, we go out to seek objects in their natural surroundings. Soon, teachers in our elementary schools, possessing the Froebel and kindergarten certificate and a Government teacher’s certificate, will doubtlessbe fired with ambition; will vie with each other in improving upon this system of education. We shall have others following the example of the late Miss Lucy R. Latter. She it was who did such good work in this respect as head infants’ mistress of the Invicta Road Council School, Westcombe Park. Having carefully studied the question in Italy, France, and the United States, she was given a commission by the Government of the Maharajah to start school gardens in connection with the public school system of Mysore. Teachers were prepared by her to carry on the work; and let us hope that, although gloom has been cast by her sudden death, they will yet have been inspired by her to continue their efforts.
There is no doubt that the school garden successfully developed is the pivot round which nature-study revolves, and as time goes on it will be seen more and more that gardening and nature-study have much in common. Those ladies who have talent for teaching, and have been through a course of gardening, will find many openings for work. A garden, although artificial, is far less so than a schoolroom, and it combines scope for general education, quite apart from mere manual horticultural teaching.
I am informed by one of the greatest authorities upon this subject that science mistresses do notexist in sufficient numbers to supply the demand for them. In this country it is a great recommendation for a woman to be able to teach nature-study, and there is no difficulty in the way of a post being obtained by one who possesses knowledge and who can impart it. As new training colleges and secondary girls’ schools are instituted, the demand will become greater, and it is in the realms of possibility that there may be women teachers of nature-study wanted in South Africa and in India, though Canada and Australia are capable of supplying all the teachers they want themselves.
Those who are interested in this subject will do well to read the Notes in the Swanley College and other reports in the second part of this volume.