Manchester Museum - Museum, Museum!
Three groups of children and adults from Birchfields Primary School visited The Manchester Museum to explore the new sessions and to find out about the museum. The children were aged 4-5 years old and the majority of children spoke English as an additional language. They were initially turned into mini explorers and then they set out on their expedition to find the animals. They explored the different spaces and artefacts on the gallery using their binoculars and eagerly found the animals they were looking for. The children then had the opportunity touch and feel some of the animals.
The staff used digital cameras and ‘post it’ observations to document children’s unique and individual learning journeys. Although they were led sessions, the practitioners tracked each child’s adventure. The practitioners found that they had new and exciting observations of children’s responses, quite different to the ones they had observed back in the setting. They had observed the children using new vocabulary, responding in unique ways with visions of exciting on their faces or lying in the floor to look in more detail. Within the museum they also developed relationships with adults and peers through the excitement of sharing new experiences.
The work developed back in the centre was amazing. The children created a dinosaur cave, a mini museum, paintings, clay work, collections of different objects, books about their visits. They went on different hunts in the outdoor area to find different animals. Parents were invited in to observe all the work going on through regular stay and play sessions.