The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-12-18
MEM BRR OF
HINTS FOR TEACHERS, No. ..
The Collecting Instinct.

When you were child between
the ages OF three and fourteen years,
what kinds of things did you collect?
Colored strings, colored papers, peb-
bles, sticks, or anything whatever
that might catch the attention was
carefully taken home and kept.
This disposition to collect all
sorts of things is practically univer-
sal-everybOdy or nearly every
body has it. II is strongest when
we are about eleven years old.
Before the child is eight years
old he may pick up anything at
all that he can carry-there seems
TO be no plan in the collecting. At
ter that age some special interest is
developed and every thing that is
collected now has some peculiar
value-often the boy or girl would
refuse any sort of prize for his col
iectiOn-be it a collection of but
tons, marbles, stamps OF what not.
The collector at this age is q
naturalist not a scientist. He may
leave the things lying about the
house anywhere, or pile them in a
confused mass. Later he may show
some tendency to arrange and class
ify the objects collected.
Since this collecting instinct is so
common in us, education should
make use of it as one Of its most
valuable means.
During these early years the child
may be sent into the fields and
woods to see what can be found,
and specimens brought into the
school.
The children could form them
selves into Nature Club, the speci-
mems collected may become school
museum.
During the process Of this collect
ing the collectors become acquaint-
ed with the objects Of nature about
them-birds. snakes. toads, and their
great value to the farmer; the help
full and the harmful insects; the
kind of soil and the crops most
probably grown upon it, and count
less other things become known in
their relation to the community
life. The clubs may develop sort
of competition among the members
as to who can find and tell all
about" the largest number Of spec
linens. Picnic excursions offer OPP
portunity for group collecting.
The collections Of one district can
be described and the description
sent TO another school for their
study-and in that way great and
vital interest is developed in the
actual writing Of descriptions. Let
each boy or girl describe one object.
A community interest is felt by the
children in the museum, but even
more in the kind Of description
John or Mary can write-fOr Johns
or Mary's description is TO show
"what our school can do"
So, the natural collecting instinct
OF the children furnishes an oppor-
tunity TO teach them about all the
objects in their lives, and incident
ally, q lot of language work and
even arithmetic takes on a new
meaning and one that is so often
found wanting for the children.
The children's discussions of the
museum as they ply the parents
with questions awaken interest a.
home. The teacher shows how
books about these things may be
obtained from the State Library
Commissions, and, before the com
munity is aware of il many Of them
are reading books, State bulletins
from the Department Of Agriculture
and other Departments. The school
becomes a center Of interest for the
community and the teacher reaps
the natural reward satisfaction
in knowing the people OF the COM
munity are better because OF his
or her presence among them.