No jazz in the title today but you'll like this one from the uber Talented Horrible Histories crew.
S and I have been to the Imperial War Museum in South London today whilst the boys have been with their Gorgeous Grandma to Splash Attack at Fishers Farm. (plenty of photos on previous posts!)
It was a first visit to the War Museum and overall we were very impressed. We started off looking at the second world war from the point of view of a family with ten children and read and learnt about their experiences. That was a great introduction and S had the chance to sit in an Anderson Shelter which she has been desperately keen to do since the first interest in this project emerged.
It felt like a bringing together today of the books we have borrowed from the library, the ones we have bought and the 1940s loan box that we borrowed from our local Horsham Museum. Several times S said "I've seen that before" of "That goes with so and so." It was a joining the dots sort of visit and very useful.
As I have mentioned on recent blog posts Second World War is really the first autonomous education project we have tackled with a pretty equal knowledge base. My last recollections of the subject are dozing off in the face of a stream of dates being fired at me age around 11 but learning with S is different. It brings passion, enthusiasm and a real genuine curiosity derived from the fact, largely I suspect, that she is only investigating things she is interested in and that she suggested in the first place. A downhill run!
And of course, 30 years ago, this topic was living history in the sense that many of its participants were still around to share the tales. This is less true now.
After a picnic lunch in the sun outside we returned and explored the downstairs galleries and exhibitions where S took lots of photos of medals. These were good but darker and more closed in and, as such, a little more intense. S was not keen to do the blitz or trenches experience (which was lucky as I was putting a brave face on it in case she said she did - the trenches has odour included!)
Overall my impression was very balanced though. The interviews with recent soldiers on the touch screens in the entrance gave a very fair perception of the highs and lows of being away from home for long periods and even the older displays suggested that the political motivations for war have longer lasting ramifications than those we might consider when the media have left the scene.
Last night an Usborne Sticker Dressing Second World War book landed on the mat, I ordered it so long ago I'd forgotten about it (but today I see on Amazon it is on pre-order.) S had a great time completing it on the train journey.
In the gift shop we saw: Goodnight Mr Tom. Carrie's War and several of the Horrible Histories and Usborne titles we have discovered on this second world war project. Joining the dots.
4 comments:
I love "joining the dots" it's so lovely learning in this way! I wil put this museum on our list of places to visit.
It is a great feeling as the 'co-ordinator' or facilitator in this scenario it gives me confidence that the process works.
I know, of course, that it does work but it is still great to be affirmed.
We Love the Imperial War Museum's Trench and Blitz experiences. They made it so much more real for my guys to understand when they were smaller, including the smells which they were pretty lenient on!!
Pickle still talks about the Imperial War Museum Blitz experience now, how sad it made her feel to see the world outside bombed,.....oh, and the dog, we always have to worry about the dog in the wreckage. x
Can you remember roughly how old they were Mel?
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