The Bombay Natural History Society's Conservation Education Centre is located on 33 acres of forest land on the outskirts of Mumbai (earlier Bombay) city. It provides a range of 'afterschool' educational opportunities including nature trails, nature camps, special events (how about 'Breakfast with Butterflies'?!), and even distance learning courses. (BTW distance learning courses will be a separate post - there are so many great courses out there!) The centre also offers volunteering opportunities.
Several nature clubs/associations across the country offer a range of nature-related programmes:
The Birdwatcher's Association of Andhra Pradesh (of which I am a member) based in Hyderabad organizes monthly birdwatching trips and indoor meetings.
The Butterfly Conservation Society, also in Hyderabad, organizes similar programmes with a focus on butterflies.
Sundarvan, a nature discovery centre (and mini zoo) in Ahmedabad organizes nature camps at its campsites.
Opportunities provided by these institutions are valuable - they give children a chance to learn specialized skills (species identification, census, etc.), they give a real-life feel to science (especially important as many Indian schools do not have basic lab facilities), and build nature appreciation. These are what every good afterschool programme must aspire to achieve.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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