Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson LXIX · Topic 8: Domestic animals
69. The pig
Goal: Your child can describe how a pig uses its snout, why it wallows, and what about the pig shows it is clever and naturally clean.
You'll need
- A visit to pigs: a farm, fair or petting farm
- A nature notebook and a pencil (colored pencils if you have them)
What's in the book
Comstock's story of the pig and its wild ancestor, the wild boar of Europe, with a rhyme by James Whitcomb Riley. Then Lesson LXIX's leading thought, method and twelve questions, and a nonsense rhyme. The Insect Study part of the book begins right after.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Any season, on a farm or at a fair. Comstock says children who can visit pigs should make the observations and report them to the class.
Safety first
Farm safety: ask the owner before you go near the animals, stay outside the fence unless you are invited in, and wash hands with soap and water after touching animals or their pens. No eating or drinking in the animal area.
Pigs can bite, and a mother pig guards her piglets fiercely. Stay outside the pen.
Keep the big idea in mind
Comstock's "leading thought" is the one idea the lesson is meant to lead to. Read it to yourself now, and save it to share at the end, after your child has looked and answered:
The pig is something more than a source of pork. It is a sagacious animal and naturally cleanly in its habits when not made prisoner by man.
Sagacious means wise or clever.
The snout
How does the pig's nose differ from that of other animals? What is it used for besides for smelling? Do you think the pig's sense of smell is very keen? Why do pigs root?
Watch a pig turn over soil or straw with the flat disk of its snout.
Mud and cleanliness
Why does the pig wallow in the mud? Is it because the animal is dirty by nature or because it is trying to keep clean?
The answer surprises children: pigs can hardly sweat, so a mud bath cools them on hot days and protects their skin from sunburn and insects.
Toes, ears and voice
On how many toes does the pig walk? Are there other toes on which it does not walk?
What cries and noises do the pigs make which we can understand?
Then ask your child for a story that shows a pig is clever (question 11), and read the leading thought aloud.
Nature notebook
Draw a pig's face from the front, showing the flat snout with its two nostrils, and a pig's foot with its two big toes and two small ones. Add the date and where you saw the pigs.