Tuesday 27 August 2013

A-Rowing We Went

http://thetigerchronicle.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/theme-wind%20in%20the%20willows


After we have read the book several times, we decided to listen to a dramatised version of the story.  The version we have is recorded by the BBC, which we thought was very well done.


The music and voices were so captivating that we listened to the recording in the car on our way to the River and Rowing Museum, which is the only museum in the country that has a gallery fully dedicated to The Wind in the Willows.


The gallery was, in Tiger's words, "enchanting".  It truly was.  The exhibits (skilfully crafted 3D models of the main characters and scenes in the story) were arranged in such a way that they make you 'walk through the story'.  We couldn't get enough of it and went through the gallery three times slowly to immerse ourselves in the nostalgic world of The Wind in the Willows.  I say "nostalgic" because the story is essentially about an old England where rural life was the dominant way of life, where a sense of frienship, community and congeniality was more prominent than it is now.


After that we went to the River gallery to learn about many topics that pertain to river study:
  • the history of River Thames
  • uses of rivers (e.g. transportation, milling)
  • geographic structure of rivers
  • river habitat
  • water cycle


While we were at the museum, Tiger attended a model motor-boat making workshop.  The workshop was led by a professional boat maker who came into the session fully prepared with all the materials and a scaled-down model boat design plan.


He gave a detailed explanation to the children about the plan and what they were required to do to put the model boat together (photo 1).  Then off they went with measuring, cutting, plying, gluing and generally assembling the model together (photos 2 to 6).


Tiger assembled the boat largely by himself but he did require some help from the workshop leader when it came to screwing the motor on (photo 7).  That was the final step before the boat was assembled (photo 8).  Tiger then tested his boat in a small paddling pool (photo 9).  Success!


The workshop included a visit to the Rowing gallery where we learnt about the history of the sport of rowing, the science behind boat building, the different materials that make up a rowing boat, and the history of boat making.



This post is linked up to:
  1. Hip Homeschool Hop - 8/27/13
  2. Hobbies and Handicrafts = Entertaining and Educational
  3. Collage Friday - First Week of Foundations
  4. TGIF Linky Party #92
  5. Weekly Wrap-Up: The One with the Crazy Week
  6. The Homeschool Mother's Journal {August 31, 2013}

16 comments:

  1. Oh this looks like SO much fun. I always love reading The Wind in the Willows with my little ones!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by, Wendy. We are enjoying the story very much too. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my goodness. There is an entire museum dedicated to the book. Cool!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Actually, it is only one gallery that is dedicated to the book, not the entire museum. :-) However, the gallery is so well done that we are very impressed by the exhibits.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just love the way you put together these literature studies/field trips. I am in awe at how many you do! I'd love to visit the museum, the gallery pics look so cute.
    The motor boat is very impressive!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are such a cool mum, Hwee! Can I come and be your daughter for one of your trips out? I'd be on my best behaviour....perleeese?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lucinda - the number of field trips we do is directly correlated to how much I love to be out and about! That seems to suit my son very well too. Got to make the most of the summer before winter comes round. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Claire - your comment makes me laugh out loud! :-) Of course you're very welcome to come along, together with your children. I'm not sure you'll want to be my daughter though. It's best to check with my son first what it's like to be my child before making such an important decision. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a wonderful experience! I adore The Wind and the Willows. I can still hear my mother's voice as she read it to me - wonderful memories! The museum looks amazing, too.

    I appreciate you - always linking with Collage Friday, and your encouraging comments on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The best way to styudy a book. Looks such fun to learn with you #hobbies and handicrafts

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mary - thank you for your sweet comment. I'm very glad to be able to link up to your weekly party. It's such a good way to bring a community of homeschooling mothers together to share ideas and to encourage one another. Mothering and homeschooling can be very challenging, so it's good to be able to encourage others that are walking the same path. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Fiona - thank you for stopping by. :-) I think it's just so lucky that we have access to so many different learning opportunities in the UK. It's fun to learn alongside my son, and it helps that both of us love to go out! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. That looks like a great week!! We love going to museums and such. I really like the boat!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you, Adena. It always helps when the project works. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow - love the boat your son made! Pinned it =)

    Thanks for linking up to TGIF! Have a great week,
    Beth =)

    ReplyDelete
  16. That looks like fun. I will have to consider that as we continue our British Children's Author series.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...