National+Museum+of+Australia

[|The National Museum of Australia] is an extremely relevant and engaging environment for a SOSE related excursion. There are a number of ways in which this resource could be used to teach SOSE in the Early Childhood Years. We have specifically focused on the integration of SOSE and ICT.

As 21st century learners, the children in todays (and future) classrooms are heavily exposed to and enthusiastic about the use of technology; whether it is using a computer at school or watching tv at home. Therefore we feel that is it important to incorporate the use of technology into the classroom, wherever possible. The National Museum of Australia provides many opportunities for the learning of SOSE and ICT to be integrated.

=Circa. = Circa is a revolving theatre exploring the history of Australia from before white settlement to the dawn of television and modern technology. This is done through the projection of images and some audio (sound effects and dialogue). This is appropriate for EC as it visually communicates a timeline of Australian History. This is suitable for the developmental level that children of this age are at. It is significant for the learning of Australian history and is a fun and interactive resource.

Unit of Work - Circa []

Review of Circa []

Photo's from our Museum visit

Kathleen Chambers Rebecca Pain Malika Bouguettaya

=Preschool connections =

The museum is undergoing [|renovations] at the moment, and consequently, the area which related specifically to very young children was not available when I visited. From memory, there was a storytelling area, which was inside a replica of a boab tree. There were lots of hands-on activities, all at children's levels.I asked someone at the information desk about this and he wasn't entirely sure whether the museum would be bringing this exhibit back or not, but told me it was all going to be much better.

Currently, the main exhibits are [|Australian Journeys], [|Old New Land], [|First Australians] and [|Eternity]. Although these exhibits are excellent SOSE resources, I felt they were aimed at older children, rather than the younger side of early childhood. Even so, preschool aged children would benefit from an excursion to the museum as long as it relates to their current learning journey.

Photos taken at the museum:



Caroline Cave