"BIRD DAY" IN SCHOOLS

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14057, 15 November 1909, Page 3

"BIRD DAY" IN SCHOOLS

A VICTORIAN NOTION. The "Bird Day" in schools which is to be an annual event, was observed yesterday (Utocber 2ytU) says the '"••.lU-gUfij" throughout the State schools of Victoria. Many people who had never before attempted to teacn children, excepting in a latherly lashion, became volunteer teachers of the Education department, and gave tlie arternoon nature lesson to the children. Oruitthologists connected with different bird clubs, such as the Ornithologists' Union, the -Bird Observers' Club of Melbourne, and the Field Naturalists' Club, took as manyschools as they could conveniently manage, and the lesson was devoted wholly to birds. The Education department had prepared the pupils for this lesson by devoting the School Paper for the mouth of October wholly to birds. Short articles were written by bird observers, each dealing with some particular species or phase of bird life. The lessons were of reaarkable variety, given often in styles which the director of Education does uot recognise as being absolutely upon the best teaching lines. The experts had a free hand. Some affected what they considered to be teaching methods; others just tactfully chatted to the children, got on good terms with them at the outset, sought to interest them, so that they were not conscious of the fact that they were being taught at all, and probably remembered the lesson all the better in consequence. There was a. great run upon the Museum cabinets for specimens with which to illustrate tho lessons. Mr Kershaw, and the members of the Museum staff, gave every assistance to the object. At. some of the schools the lessons took a specially attractive form. At North Melbourne, for example, Mr E. Brooke Nicholls, of the Bird Observers' Club, had his lesson illustrated with lantern views, and a splendid collection of pictures, illustrated bird life by sea and land. The pupils were practically taken on an excursion amongst the' islands and seabird rookeries of Bass's Straits, and shown the home of the gannet. mutton bird, gull, and albatross. All this made the lesson very reul and impressive. Mr Leach, director of nature study in the Education department, had chief control of the arrangements. One practical result of Bird Day was that more than 50,000 children in the State of Victoria gave in their names as members of the Gould Bird Protection Society, and in due course will receive illustrated cards of membership.