As the bus squeezed past delivery trucks to park up, the tamariki were eager to discover what was inside the Wellington Museum. The groans from the boys about the ‘Barbie and Ken’ exhibition were long gone! We were greeted by Claire, an experienced and captivating guide. She told us a story from 1913 of a protest outside the building itself, which sat on the old wharf and originally belonged to the Wellington Harbour Board. The tamariki were eager to be historians for the day and were amazed to see the actual gates, windows and buildings in the 110 year old picture from where they were sitting.
Claire led us through the various levels to see exhibits about activism, from the women’s silent protests against the white male dominated Harbour Board, to Dame Whina Cooper’s 1975 march, and onto the Springboks 1981 rugby tour to NZ. Murmurs of ‘I knew that’ and ‘we’ve learnt that at school’ were pleasing to hear, along with the eagerness to share their knowledge. As well as pressing a button a hundred times to hear the stuffed lion roar, free time at the museum split half the group into the aforementioned ‘Barbie and Ken’ exhibition, and the rest into building towers of tubes for air to rise up and turn windmills.
Te Papa has always been a favourite and the hub teachers explored different areas with their tamariki. Some braved the weather in Bush City, some experienced Te Taiao, the nature area, while others found a calming (& one exit only) space in Toi Art on the 4th floor.
The day’s learning linked in with our inquiry this term and the ākonga thoroughly enjoyed their visit. Thank you to the parent helpers who we couldn’t have done this without.
