I just recieved my "Handbook of Nature Study" by Anna Botsford Comstock. As I want to make it a 'study', and not just a read, I am going to narate it here as I read.

In the preface, the author explains how the book came to be. In brief, it came from an extension course for young naturalists through Cornell University in the late 1890's. The leaflets which were put out for the classes were expanded and revised to make this book.

Something in the  preface that I wanted to note. The author apologizes for the largeness of the book, and then says, "it does not contain more than any intelligent country child of twelve should know of his enviroment; things that he should know naturally and without effort, although it may take him half his life-time to learn so much if he should not begin before the age of twenty."   How true this is of many things that we learn. If the knowledge is not aquired while our brain is in the formative mode, excited and searching for information, it is so much more of a struggle to learn it later.

Part 1 of the book is: The teaching of nature study.

What nature study is:

Nature study, the author explains, is, quite simply the study of nature. Making truthful observations that lead to understanding. She goes on to explain what nature study should do for  the child, what goals we should be aiming for. Since I am first and foremost concerned with studying nature myself, developing a passion and understanding of it so that I can pass it on to my children, these are the things that I should expect to gain from my study.

What nature study should do for the child:

The first and obvious thing, is a knowledge of the ways of nature. Next, it cultivates the imagination, miraculous and marvelous things are possible in nature, and beyond simply observing, I think that if you  contemplate on God's creation of all these amazing things, you realize that within your own being, you might have some of this ability. And yet, only truth is observed or allowed. I love what she has to say about this, "Perhaps half the falsehood in the world is due to lack of  power to detect the truth and to express it. Nature study aids in discernment and in expression of thingsas they are." A pretty optimistic veiw of man, but she may be right.  Nature study cultivates a love of the beautiful. This I have gained through my time in nature, probably the only one of these things that I have any degree of experience with so far. She waxes quite poetic over this. This is what I love about how authors used to write. This is, really, a textbook. I certainly didn't see any language like this in the science textbooks I had in school. This is literature, I would enjoy reading it simply for the use of  words, let alone for what is being taught. The last and most important thing is that the child be taught a love of the out of doors. If this isn't being taught with your study of nature, then you should cease it.

I would agree, this is definitly the most important thing. A lasting realationship and love for the beauties of the earth is more important than the ability to identify something by the arbitrary name that someone has given it.