In a new effort to make history accessible to students, Griffith’s Pioneer Park Museum has come up with the perfect solution.
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Curator Bonnie Owen has come up with a way to get kids engaged in history, especially local history – take the museum to the school.
“It came to my attention the organisation of an excursion and the cost of hiring buses renders it somewhat impossible for some schools to have that interactive historical experience,” Ms Owen said.
The units follow NSW Syllabus guidelines, and the first event at Griffith Public School was a smash hit.
“It was fabulous, the kids had an absolute ball, and it was really great to see them remembering the little bits and pieces of information from the whole experience,” Ms Owen said.
“Myself and our coordinator Jenny O'Donnell-Priest and some of our dedicated volunteers came, and to see the kids so excited about history and to be learning things, and the looks on their faces when you explained new things, like how there was no electricity and little minor things you do forget about,” Ms Owen said.
The team related history back to the kids lives now, explaining how kids their age used to play back in the day without computers or electronics, and even had games for them to play to experience what it was like.
And it was very well received.
Student Matisse Berry said she enjoyed learning about the history of people living in Griffith in the past, and along with fellow student Geraldine Fagalilo, loved playing the games.
“We learnt they had to make their own games, and we got to try out a few too,” Matisse said.
“The games were my favorite part as well,” Geraldine said.
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“We hope it will contribute to their own identity within the community, and also to their education and broader knowledge of the world and how it works.”
Not only schools, Ms Owen is hoping to inspire interest and reignite passion in the community to engage with Griffith’s history.