 | Preparation for outdoor bird study |
| Patrol competition |
| Leader must provide and prepare 8 bird pictures |
Colored bird cards or pictures cut from inexpensive books are required. Books can be purchased from so called five and ten cent stores. Cards may be secured from various commercial companies. Use at least 8 pictures of more common birds found in your territory. Cover names with masking tape and number the cards.
The Game
Seat players by Patrols around the room. Assign one or more numbers to each member of each Patrol. The leader stands in front, holds up a picture of a bird, and reads its description written on the back of the picture. If it were a meadow lark, the leader might say: It is noted for its sweet song; has a bright yellow breast and black collar. Its back is a dirty white and brown. It likes to sit low on wire fences. It lives in meadows and is about the size of a robin.
Following the description, the leader calls a number. All players to whom that number was assigned run up and study the picture until the leader says, "Name it!" whereupon each player who names it correctly scores one point for his Patrol. Then the picture is passed around the Troop, while the leader shows another picture and reads the description. This is continued until all pictures have been described. The Patrol having the most points wins.
Tips
This Scout way would be of little value if it were not followed up with outdoor individual, Patrol or Troop bird hikes. Here again, the Scoutmaster must do something to stimulate and organize such meetings. The best time to do it is immediately after the game.
