Nature Study for Evacuees

Abstract

THE Universities' Federation for Animal Welfare (U.F.A.W.) has issued two further useful and informative lectures for delivery to evacuee children, namely “British Snakes and Lizards”, by Dr. R. C. Blackie, curator of Exeter Museum, and “Frogs and Toads”, by E. M. Stevenson, lecturer in biology, University College, Exeter. The lectures are printed as brochures and accompanied by photographic plates for illustration and will help to solve a very pressing problem with many town teachers inexperienced of the countryside where they are now evacuated with their inquiring pupils. In a similar way, the various branches of the Workers' Educational Association have included nature study, biology, botany and kindred subjects in their programme of lecture courses for the coming winter. The West Lancashire and Cheshire Branch of the W.E.A., for example, is arranging nature study courses this winter at the University of Liverpool, Neston Library, Runcorn Technical Institute, Southport Technical Institute and probably Maghull Library, with a special appeal to teachers, and biology classes at the University and some of the branch towns. Attention has been given to nature study at the large Colomendey school camp, North Wales, but in most parts of the country considerable help in this subject is still required by town teachers in care of evacuees but handicapped by the limitations of their own experience of field natural history, which differs so radically from laboratory biology. A “Junior Naturalists' Society” has been formed by F. Stodart at Longfield, Kent, and much help is being given by local branches of the British Empire Naturalists' Association.