Parents and Children
Next, we will read some from Mason’s second volume called Parents and Children. Read p. 231
Examples of current Form 1 (grades 1-3) books that can be read to encourage a child to see the “living growing thing in situ” would be books that discuss natural objects that would be common for them to see in their local geographic area such as The Moonflower (zones 7-9), The Boy Who Drew Birds (midwest and eastern US), Cactus Hotel (southwest), and Sanctuary: The Story of 3 Arch Rocks (Pacific NW). Pick one to read. Check at your local library or order from Amazon. How does your book fit in with what Mason was describing for Form 1 work? Take a look at the page in the Appendix from Edwin Tunis’s Chipmunks on the Doorstep and the chapter from Margaret Anderson’s Children of Summer: Henri Fabre’s Insects. Reflect in your notebook how these stories might inspire you to explore your local area for what secrets are waiting to be discovered. Spend some time in your immediate outdoor surroundings “seeing” something for the first time. Make notes and sketches. Read How to Keep a Nature Note-Book by Agnus Drury (a teacher at the training college run by Mason).