I love following trails with my smalls. Two really good ones we've
done recently were at a National Trust house and at the Oxford Botanic
Gardens.
The NT one included a backpack with a measuring tape, magnifying glass
and a couple of other bits, plus an info booklet you used as you went
from room to room. It pointed out bits of decorative plasterwork,
things in cupboards - stuff a four-year-old might not otherwise have
found interesting at all. I think you gave everything back at the end
- it wasn't really to do with recording info, just exploring.
The Botanic Gardens trail was designed to make you explore the whole
garden. You were on the trail of a particular plant and you followed
clues to various areas outside and in the glasshouses, drawing things,
making little notes and so on, until you finally came to the
glasshouse containing the plant you were after. The booklet became a
souvenir.
I've just thought of another one I experienced recently, at the
National Herb Centre in Oxfordshire. That was part of a birthday
party, so a whole load of five-year-olds were pounding around looking
for 'a bee' or 'a plant that smells' and it was also great!
So I think your idea of a trail is a really good one, and the age
group get the idea of what they have to do very quickly.
Good luck with the project.
Rebecca.
On 25/09/2007, Ruth Ruthven <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Dear All, I am attempting to devise a curriculum-linked education workshop
> for nursery schools and infants (3-7years).
>
> It may need to be around a museum with a collection not particulary suited
> to this stage, but may need to be in an education room.
>
> Due to the nature of the theme, I wanted to incorporate looking for a small
> hidden animal / object in each part of the trail.
>
> I wondered if any of you had attempted doing similar things successfully?
>
> or, if not,
>
> any other successful trail-type ideas for this age group where the
> collection itself is unsuitable, would be greatly appreciated
>
> In anticipation
>
> Ruth Ruthven
> www.ruthruthven.co.uk
>
|