LECTURES FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AT THE LONDON ZOO, GREAT BRITAIN

During 1959 the Zoological Society of London’s Education Scheme completed its second year of operation. Lectures were designed for pupils of three different levels of academic ability-those starting their secondary education (11 to 13 years), and those taking their General Certificate of Education at the Ordinary and Advanced Levels (15 to 16, and 17 to 18 years respectively).

Each visit consists of a lecture given by one of the Society’s fully-qualified Education Officers and is illustrated by specimens, slides or films in the specially equipped lecture theatre which seats 100 children. It is followed by a guided tour of the appropriate animal houses in the Gardens. During 1959 a total of 13,906 pupils from 200 schools attended the lectures with their teachers.

In addition to the school lectures, short courses were provided for university and training college students.

YOUNG ZOOLOGISTS’ CLUB AT THE LONDON ZOO, GREAT BRITAIN

In January 1959, the Zoological Society of London decided to launch a junior section in order to make available some of the Society’s educational facilities to young people. The junior society, which is known as the XYZ (Exceptional Young Zoologists’) Club is for children between 11 and 18 years of age interested in the Zoo, in natural history and in animals generally. Although the Club is based on the London Zoo, its membership is not confined to London and out of the 3,000 members, approximately one third live in the country or abroad.

The subscription is 10s. a year (there are reduced rates for schools and groups) and for this each member receives a magazine, a number of free tickets to the London Zoo and Whipsnade Park, meetings in the school holidays, the use of an “information bureau”, photographic, painting, general knowledge, essay and field study competitions (all of which are based on animal study) and a distinctive metal badge. The magazine is published three times a year and contains articles by well-known scientists, natural historians and zoo specialists on current scientific discoveries, British natural history, the life of animals in the Zoo and in the wild, and the care of unusual pets. In addition, there are regular crossword puzzles, quiz competitions, book reviews and several pages consisting of a selection of members’ queries answered by the Information Bureau.

The first year of the Club which was of an experimental nature has been extremely successful and the Club and its magazine have been very favourably reviewed in a large number of national newspapers and natural history periodicals. Even more encouraging, however, has been the enthusiasm and interest of the members. It would seem that the Club is fulfilling an important need.

+

PIONEER YOUTH GROUP AT PRAGUE ZOO, CZECHOSLOVAKIA

The Pioneer Youth Group at Prague Zoo is a subsidiary of a much larger organisation, the Czechoslovak Union of Youth, which caters for the out-of-school education of children between 11 and 14 years of age. The Union of Youth provides meeting rooms and instructors for children interested in a great variety of hobbies, of which zoology is one. Membership of the organisation is free and depends only on the interest of the child and the recommendation of the school.

The Zoology Section of the Union of Youth has a meeting room at the Prague Zoo. It contains aquariums, terrariums and cages for small animals such as Golden Hamsters, Guinea Pigs and Mice. The necessary equipment for looking after the animals is also provided. Lecturers visit the Youth Group regularly and give talks on various aspects of zoology.

Each week from Monday to Friday a group of children comes to the Zoo to attend lectures and meetings and to help look after animals under their supervisor and a keeper. The children do not, in fact, make the zoo administration any easier as they cannot work on their own and every afternoon a keeper must devote his whole time to them. However, the trouble involved is greatly outweighed by the enthusiasm of the children and the benefit they receive from the scheme. Experience gained studying and working at the Zoo has proved invaluable to children who have gone on to study zoology and biology at the University. Dr Jan Lundowski, Zoo Director, Prague Zoo, Czechoslovakia.

37