Page:Preparation of the Child for Science.djvu/55

Rh Choose for this purpose some subject to which you see the child attracted; and one the materials for which are at hand or can be procured without effort, or strain, or fuss. The means used for feeding the unconscious brain should be as far as possible dissociated in the children's minds from any notion of doing things for their own instruction. Whatever you set children to do for this purpose should be done either to amuse themselves, or, better, to amuse some one else; or by way of helping some one else; and by means of objects which you can introduce into the house for purposes of play, or use, or ornament. If there is any one about, a relative or intimate friend, who knows some science subject well and is not a professional teacher—an uncle electrician or photographer, a friend who owns a star telescope, an aunt with a hobby for collecting seaweeds or growing ferns, a nice friendly carpenter or blacksmith in the place where you go for holidays, let the children spend as much of their spare time with this person as they and the person wish. Lay no stress on their learning any special thing from him or her; leave the children to absorb whatever impressions they can gather. A country-bred girl who in her own childhood went nutting and blackberrying, or worked in a little garden, may be a better