THINK TOGETHER, TALK TOGETHER

BERWICK PILOTJUNE 2011

Lorna Chappell – Adult Learning and Community Involvement Co-ordinatorChildren’s Centres North

Why this partnership?•The Berwick area in North Northumberland has a small population due to its rurality • Local organisations have learnt to think outside the box and work in sometimes unexpected partnerships to reach as many participants as possible•Museums and Libraries need families with young children to know that they will be welcomed and that there is fun to be had for all age groups• ‘Hello Year’ and Early Years ‘Chatter Matters’•Wider Family Learning as a vehicle for the partnership

Who became involved and how?1. Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums2. Northumberland Adult Learning Service (Family

Learning) 3. Berwick Library 4. Berwick Records Office 5. Sure Start Children’s Centres North 6. Heatherslaw Mill 7. Berwick Barracks Museum

Before you start-planning!Meetings x 2 to:•Decide on Dates•Book Venue•Book Facilitator/s•Book Childcare provision•Book transport for trips•Book in with chosen venues for trips•Discuss the order of events•Produce Lesson Plans•Create any handouts required•Create marketing•Look at legalities and policies – Enhanced CRBs, hot drinks

Our GroupWe had a very diverse group of learners made up ofVulnerable families within the Sure Start system andFamilies from further afield – Belford – 14 miles away2 x families from the Scottish side of the borderOriginally 5 x adultsOriginally 4 x childrenLast session 7 x adultsLast session 7 x childrenWe removed the transport barrier at Sure Start by reimbursing bus fares

How it lookedWeek One-Parents and children together at Children’s CentreTopic – Families and FoodResources – Box from records OfficeFlour –based foodsPhotographsDressing up clothes

Week Two - First Visit!Heatherslaw Mill•7 x parents and grandparents•6 x children•The miller•10 mins-Simple things for discussion e.g. Trap doors, big sacks of grain, cogs of the mill•20 mins-paddling pool filled with grain (as popular as any sand pit!)•10 mins-mill stones – everybody got to try•Museum shop•Bags of flour and oats to take home

Week Three – Toys and Games•Resource box of toys, books and games from parents’ era e.g. Sindy, Barbie, My Little Pony, Annuals, Hopscotch-anything to get people talking•Very old toys to look at and discuss•We played games•Listened to stories

Week Four – Second Trip•Met in town•Visited the Museum•Had a drink and a biscuit•Walked to the library•Had a story •Looked at books

Week Five-The Seaside•Resource box with old local seaside photos, shells, sand, buckets and spades•Dressing up clothes like Edwardian bathing suits•Talked about things from the beach and what you might do at the beach now e.g. Sun cream, ice cream, umbrellas etc.

Week Six-Beach Party•Treasure hunting•Sand Castles•Picnic•Fairy House Building•Paddling•Having Fun Together

Evaluations from the Pilot-1•Professionals found that:

•Parents need it to be crystal clear that they are to talk to their children about what is happening not exclusively each other •Half an hour is a good (safe!) length of time in a museum or mill setting for the under 5s age group

Evaluations from the Pilot-2Parents said that:•They really enjoyed the course•It should be on in the afternoon as many children are at pre-school in the morning so couldn’t join us•They hadn’t realised how much free stuff went on in the library for kids•They were surprised at how much the children got out of the museum and that they would go again with older siblings•They liked showing their children toys and other old things from the resource boxes•They loved the dressing up with the children!

Evaluations from the Pilot-3Children said:•Don’t want a book-but ended up glued to the story•Can we do baking? (We said ‘no’ but maybe it’s an idea for something else in Family Learning)•Didn’t know what flour was or what it could be used for•Loved the Beach Party!•Wanted to come back again

The Way Forward•We will incorporate this kind of learning into courses which already run in our area•We will continue to work in the partnerships we have formed•Children can join us for 2 or 3 of the sessions in future•We will offer the course during afternoons•Sessions will last about one and a half hours as two is too long for the children•We will ask the adults to make rough notes in a ‘chat log’ to raise awareness of communication with their young children•We are thinking of inviting adult participants to come along and do a memory board of the course as a craft exercise and a reinforcement/reminder (and a bit of fun!)