The holidays are here again and some of you may have children to entertain -
or perhaps you want a trip down the pit. Either way, the following may be
of interest:-
Routes to your Roots: mapping your mining past
On July 19th the National Coal Mining Museum for England, at Caphouse
Colliery near Wakefield, opened an exhibition which is designed to encourage
visitors to find out about their mining ancestors and how they lived. It
has been designed especially with families and children in mind, and for
those with no experience of research.
The exhibition opens with advice on starting your family history and
exploring sources to use. The second part is putting the person into their
historical context. Finding out about the mine and community, and what it
was like to be a coal miner between 1875 and 1950. The final section
encourages visitors to tell their story and write their memories down for
future generations before it's too late.
Visitors are encouraged to find out about the mystery miner through a series
of clues concealed in the exhibition. This will enable them to get a feel
for tracing their own family history. Junior detectives will have their own
cartoon trail to the mystery miner. In addition there is a board game for
children and plenty of hands-on exhibits. Attention has been paid to making
the exhibits accessible for all.
By its very nature the exhibition draws on partner expertise across all
three sectors using the museum's collections, Local Studies Libraries and
Archive resources in line with government initiatives. It promotes lifelong
learning and encourages individuals to develop new skills that are
transferable into other disciplines. The exhibition supports some of the
competencies required by the National Curriculum at key stage levels at 2, 3
and A2.
The exhibition runs until December 19th, with a number of school activities
planned for the Autumn Term. It is hoped to run a course for adults next
year to develop some of the skills introduced in the exhibition.
Hopefully it will provide a lot of fun for everyone!
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