Clje ^uDubon ^octettes 



SCHOOL DEPARTMENT 



Edited by ALICE HALL -WALTER 



Address all communications relative to the work of this depart- 

 ment to the editor, at 53 Arlington Avenue, Providence, R. I. 



THE HOME, THE SCHOOL AND THE AUDUBON SOCIETY 



From a country town in Minnesota comes a most welcome proof of prac- 

 tical co-operation between the parents of the community, the pupils of the 

 grade school, and the Audubon Society, in the form of a school scrap-book on 

 birds, made by a pupil in the fourth grade, the evolution of which is thus 

 described by a teacher of the school. 



"In the July-August number of Bird-Lore, I notice a short article on what 

 the children of Elizabeth, N. J., have done in their Audubon Society. It 

 makes me anxious to let you know that here in this little country town, the 

 children have become so interested in birds that the fathers and mothers and 

 grandmothers have become interested too, and contribute many pleasing 

 articles from their farm papers for the children to put into their scrap-books. 

 The object of the books is not to make beautiful books, but a kind of "bird 

 guide" for each child; and I believe they have served as such, for the chil- 

 dren are very familiar with birds of which they knew almost nothing. The 

 pictures and little pamphlets [Educational Leaflets] sent out by the Audubon 

 Society were great incentives for each child. Before our Audubon Society was 

 started, I think that birds had never been taught in the school. 



"It is really wonderful to hear the children tell about the birds, their nests, 

 and the occupants of their bird-houses. At my home, I have kept a "feeding- 

 tree," and often of Sundays, the children come in numbers to see the Downy 

 and Hairy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Chickadees. 



"In the spring, I asked the school board to have eight bird-houses put up, 

 four for Bluebirds and four for Wrens. They did so, and also had a splendid 

 big Martin-house made. One Friday I got together what material I could, 

 and out of the forty children in the school, at least twenty made bird-houses. 

 The houses made of hollow pieces of stove-wood proved very good Blue- 

 bird-houses. Chalk-boxes made good Wren-houses. 



"I have noticed that at nearly every farm or home out here, there is some 

 sort of a bird-house, some of which have been put up by mothers interested 

 in the study since the bird-club started." 



No further word is necessary to show that in this town bird-study in the 

 school, in charge of a sympathetic and energetic teacher, together with the 

 aid of the Audubon Society has reached the parents in the homes as well as 

 the pupils in the school. Such an ideal condition of affairs might easily exist 



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