Debbie, ANMM Education Intern
Hi, I’m Debbie Rogers, Education Officer at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall (NMMC). I’ve just completed a two week internship at ANMM where I have been shadowing the education department. It has been fascinating to compare and contrast the two museums. For example, a good week for ANMM is 1,500 children through the door, with the NMMC, that’s approx 450 more than we get in a month at our busiest time of year! We are a much smaller museum and simply cannot cater for that many students.
I have been kept busy by Jeff and Lauris (Education Officers) and Judithe (Endeavour Circumnavigation Project Officer). The tasks they have set me have been extremely interesting as I have tackled projects which I haven’t had experience in at the NMMC. For example, I have designed two interactive games for the Endeavour website for primary school age. I manage the Early Years programme at NMMC so this was a project I was very comfortable with and I will probably design something similar for the NMMC website on my return. I have also assisted Jeff with re-modelling the existing ‘Splash!’ workshop based on the ‘Under the Sea’ programme I run at home where I regularly dress up as a mischievous Seasprite called Oceana, dressed in a 1970’s sparkly frock and tactile ‘magic’ coat, with sea horses and turtles painted on my face. I spend a magical few hours with Kindergarten and Year 1 and I’m basically paid to play, a tough job but someone has to do it! Through an engaging mix of hands-on discovery, imagination, story-telling, puppets, music and role-play, the aim of these workshops is to empower children with the wonder, confidence and critical skills to begin a life-long love of learning in museums.
Another fun project for me has been researching some handling objects from the education collection for the new ‘touch trolley’ resource. The touch trolley enables the visitors to look more closely at this material, to have a sensory experience and a museum perspective. There are a number of themes the education department are planning to do with items relating to the exhibitions. One already exists on ‘Navigation’ and I have been working on the one for the ‘Passengers’ gallery. So, if you would like a wonderful insight into life on-board a cruise liner in the 1950’s and 60’s then be sure to find a touch trolley manned by one of the Museums’ informative ‘Kids on Deck’ staff or Teacher Guides and take a step back in time!
