Kids break in and bring museum’s collection to life
23 November 2012
On Friday 23 November, pupils from Harbinger Primary School in Tower Hamlets will take over the Museum of London Docklands for the day.
A day’s worth of special activities - that will be both educational and fun - are being organised as part of Children’s Commissioner’s Takeover Day 2012.
Some 45 pupils, aged 9 - 11, will become Museum Visitor Hosts and Gallery Actors for the day. They will run front-of-house operations, greet visitors when they arrive and take charge of the heart of the Museum - by managing the information desk and talking to visitors in the galleries.
The school children will also deliver public performances of dramas about children’s lives in Docklands’ past, every half hour between 10.30am - 2pm. The performances are all produced and researched by the pupils themselves. They will dress up in period costume and bring to life the story of pirates in London, the 1889 Dockers strike, life on the high-seas for a Victorian sailor and the devastation of the Docklands in WWII.
Head of Learning at the Museum of London, Frazer Swift, said: ‘Last year’s Children’s Takeover Day last was such a huge success we decided to make it even bigger this year, with 45 pupils performing their own costumed dramas at the Museum of London Docklands. A third of our visitors are children, so we are delighted to give them a chance to show us how it’s done!’
Mandy Boutwood, Head Teacher, Harbinger Primary School, said: “I am so pleased that our students have had the opportunity to participate in such an exciting project. I feel it has been a powerful learning experience whilst also introducing our pupils to the world of work. We hope it will inspire a lifelong love of museums.”
Takeover Day is a nation-wide event led by the Children’s Commissioner for England, supported the Arts Council and Kids in Museums. It gives children and young people the chance to shadow people in a range of different jobs, get involved in decision-making and offer their opinions on key issues about how organisations are managed.
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Notes to Editors
1. For more information or images, please contact Nicola Kalimeris nkalimeris@museumoflondon.org.uk 020 7814 5511 or on Twitter @MOLpressoffice
2. Museum of London, Museum of London Docklands and Museum of London Archaeology seek to inspire a passion for London. The Museums are open daily 10am – 6pm and are FREE to all.
3. Explore the Museum of London with collections online - home to 60,000 objects with more being added.
4. Follow the Museum of London on Twitter http://twitter.com/museumoflondon and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/museumoflondon
