The Amelia Scott is thrilled to introduce our new Early Years sessions, which have evolved to include sensory storytelling followed by a craft activity or a trail, or sometimes both! These sessions are designed to engage young learners through a multi-sensory approach that makes stories come alive.
We recently trialled one of these sessions with The Wells Free School, based on a delightful book from our children’s library, Maya’s Walk. This book follows Maya and her experiences during a walk with her dad. We transformed this story into a sensory adventure, focusing on butterflies to connect with our handling collection and the many butterflies featured in the Origins of Collecting Gallery.
Our sensory storytelling session utilized a range of senses to engage the children. We included sounds like leaves swirling and rain falling, used a water spray to mimic rain or jumping in puddles, and introduced a flowery smell when Maya encountered flowers. Throughout the story, we incorporated songs for the group to sing along with. Additionally, we used real museum objects, such as a box of butterflies, and the children made their own butterfly crafts to take home before visiting the museum to see the butterflies on display.
"Thank you so much for the really engaging story session based around butterflies, using the story Maya’s Walk. The children really enjoyed this, and the element of interaction through the use of senses was perfectly pitched for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), as was the hour-long session. The children seated in a circle worked perfectly for children of this age, and having the central focal point, actions within a story-based activity, and sound clips to accompany ensured that all learners – even our SEND children – were truly engaged. Thank you! Following the engagement within the story, the children loved doing the craft activity and were excited to discuss what they had learned and done once back at school. A huge thank you to Christine and The Amelia team for offering these sessions to local schools, they really are invaluable to us."
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The Amelia Scott is dedicated to enriching lives and inspiring learning through culture and community engagement.