BIRD NOTES AND NEWS. 



35 



UgT 



Bird dnd Tree (Arbor) Day. 



^<cr 



Teachers and others interested are asked 

 to note (1) that there is an Open Class in 

 the Competition this year; (2) that entries, 

 with lists of Cadets,, should be sent in by 

 October 15th ; (3) that the new leaflet 

 " Look and See " and the new Cadet Cards 

 are now ready. 



NATURE STUDY IN THE SCHOOL. 

 An interesting and suggestive address on 

 the teaching of Nature Study in Elementary 

 Schools was given at the Nature Study f''te 

 at Highwood, Hampshire, in June — ^briefly 

 mentioned in the Summer Number of 

 Bird Notes and News — by the Director of 

 Education for Hampshire (Mr. D. T. Cowan). 



Speaking as one who had been connected 

 with education officially twenty years, and 

 unofficially five years before that, Mr. Cowan 

 pointed out how hopeful and promising was 

 the present time among teachers, because of 

 the freedom of thought and action which had 

 been won in the long and fierce struggle for 

 real education, as against mere instruction. 

 Twenty-five years ago those who were en- 

 trusted with the education, of children, were 

 bound by fettering codes and regulations ; 

 but the great technical education movement 

 gave a new comprehension and a new out- 

 look, not only within its own especial sphere, 

 but as regarded education in general. 



Developing itself without Government 

 trammels, it showed that one great thing 

 needed was more freedom for the teachers 

 as to the subjects taught, and greater freedom 

 how and when to teach them. It had also 

 shown conspicuously in the case of science 

 and mathematics, that not hard-and-fast 

 rules, and matter learned in books were the 



important thing, but first-hand investigation. 

 Tills was wliere nature teaching was so 

 especially valuable. Tlie teacher was free as 

 regarded methods, and the study prompted 

 and develoj)ed personal investigation in a 

 way that few subjects could do ; because the 

 watching of bird-life and of plants and trees 

 was a matter of the most fascinating interest 

 to children, and effects were constantly 

 before them. 



It was one of the best subjects that could 

 be handled, and it was one that should be 

 taken up seriously ; the children ought to 

 study one branch only at a time and take 

 that right through, rather than attempt a 

 smattering of many things. Bird and Tree 

 work was well adapted for this purpose. 

 The great Bird and Tree movement came 

 from America, that home of freedom in 

 education. It began as Arbor Day, in 

 Nebraska, for the planting of trees to lielp 

 in replacing the woods and forests which has 

 been somewhat recklessly cut do^^^a. The 

 planting of trees led naturally enough to the 

 study and protection of birds. Bird and 

 Tree Day had been introduced into Hamp- 

 shu-e, in 1904, and had made great strides 

 both in that county and in other parts of 

 England. Having tested the work done by 

 the children in their essays, he was con- 

 vinced that no other subject called forth 

 more strongly the love of the child or its 

 powers of observation. He had really not 

 thought that children could write so well. 

 Books were but second-hand knowledge ; 

 this was largely first-hand observation, for 

 nothing was so important in this work as 

 seeing a thing iov themselves and seeing it 

 well. And it was the observation of the 



