New Field Book of Nature Activities and Hobbies by William Hillcourt - G.P. Putnam Sons, New York, NY: 1970 3rd Ed.
I found this book at a used book store on my 12th birthday. It was one of the better presents I’ve ever received. This is the book that inspired my love of nature and the natural world, it got me outside and made me dream of having a rock collection of my very own.
I would recommend this book for children ages 10-14 and adults interested in the natural world. It would be particularly useful in conjunction with a few of the Audubon field guides.
The book is divided into two parts. Part I deals with reasons an individual may want to study the natural world and ways he/she could go about doing it. It outlines a plan for starting a nature observation club, going on field trips, creating nature trails, keeping a nature journal and setting up a nature workshop.
The second part deals with specific activities within each of the natural sciences. It is set up rather oddly- animals having a section of their own, apart from sections about birds, reptiles, insects and water life. I suspect that the animals section was meant to be a section on mammals. This doesn’t really affect its functionality though. Each section on living things contains a set of neat activities for observing the organism in it’s natural habitat.
The first section in part two is about birds and birding. It gives a detailed overview of birding techniques, ways to attract birds to your yard, how to photograph them and information about collecting bird feathers and eggshells. The second section is about animals, really about mammals. It tells you how to find wild animals, get close to them, clean a skeleton for your collection and even keep them as pets (not an activity recommended by me!). This book was published in the 50’s after all, and that sort of thing wasn’t as taboo then I suppose.
The third section is about reptiles. Once again, this chapter teaches you how to keep wild reptiles in captivity. It would probably be best to use this information to keep domestic reptiles. Unless you’re very experienced, handling wild animals isn’t the smartest thing to do.
The fourth and fifth sections are on insects and aquatic life respectively. They are quite like the previous chapters- they contain information on how to find animals, catch them, mount them for a collection and keep them in captivity.
The next two sections, Flowers and Flowerless Plants and Trees really ought to be combined into one chapter. After all, trees are flowering or flowerless plants. Also, for some reason he includes mushrooms in the flowering plant chapter. Still, I can forgive Mr. Hillcourt because these chapters are my favorites. Here he describes methods for making a flower calender, growing a wildflower garden, making a leaf collection and many other interesting activities.
The final three chapters deal with geologic studies, the weather and astronomy. Following the patern of previous sections, they describe how to observe natural phenomena, take notes and make collections for later study.
Really, it’s a great little book, even if it’s dated. Buy it for your daughter and get his butt outside. Let her look at bugs under a hand lens and squeal at the sight of a Barred Owl. Because lets face it, kids need the outdoors as much as they need calcium. It’s good for the body, it’s good for the soul.
