40 PROMOTING "NATURE STUDY" IN SCHOOLS.
and District Educational Conference" in the Essex Museum of
Natural History, Stratford. It was intimated that the desire of
the Club was to make the Museum of the greatest possible
service for the study of Natural History by the young people of
the district, and for the promotion of "Nature-Study'' in
schools, both public and private, and the main object of the
meeting was to demonstrate the excellent materials contained in
the Museum, and to gather any suggestions for its development
in the directions indicated by the teachers present.
The President of the Club, Mr. T. S. Dymond (adviser to
the Board of Education), Council T. W. Watts (Chairman
of the Education Committee), Mr. A. F. Hogg, M.A. (Principal
of the Institute), Mr. W. Cole (Curator), and many members of
the Council received the visitors in the hall of the Museum at
3 o'clock. Among those present were the "Right Rev. the
Bishop of Barking, Mr. Watkins, H.M.I., Mr. H. Bryett
(Secretary to the Conference), and many others.
The afternoon was spent in a demonstration of the various
collections, and in explaining the plan and methods of the
Museum. In this work Mr. Henry Whitehead (the Assistant
Curator) very efficiently aided Mr. Cole. At about five o'clock
tea was served to the party, and afterwards a Conference was
held in the Physical Lecture Theatre of the Institute, the
President of the Club in the Chair.
In the circular calling the meeting the following suggestions were put forward
as hiving been already made :—
(1) The arrangement of Courses of Demonstrations in the various
branches of Natural History represented in the Museum, associated with
Field Work in the summer.
(2) The use of the Museum by Teachers who have thus become
acquainted with the collections for work with their scholars in Nature*
Study.
(3) The use of the Exhibition Room at the Museum for School
"Demonstrations" and Nature-Study Exhibitions.
Mr. Dymond, in opening the discussion, desired to make it quite clear that
by "Nature-Study" they did not mean the mere teaching of Natural History.
Nature-Study covers a field almost as a wide as the whole curriculum of a school.
In fact it is a method rather than a "subject." He was not one of those who
favour restricting this method to any one particular branch of Natural History for
Elementary School purposes. He questioned the desirability of teaching any
particular science, botany, geology, entomology, etc., in elementary schools, even
by "Nature-Study" methods. But we do want children to be able to take an
intelligent interest in all around them, especially as far as these things—their
environment—affect themselves. We do wish that their eyes should be opened