Miniature Explorers

Left: A view of the Natural History Museum's 'Virtual Endeavour' site.

© Natural History Museum.

The Global Garden (KS1) and Mission Explore (KS2) websites are all about exploring, designed to give children a taste of different environments and to whet their appetites to explore further.

This project echoes that theme, encouraging children to use their imaginations and their literacy skills as explorers. In this example I will focus on upper KS2 children, though there is of course scope to adapt the ideas for younger children.

The project aims to increase their geographical and historical understanding with the main focus on 'Scientific enquiry' and 'Life processes and living things'.

Project Outline

The epic voyages of the early explorers, botanists and naturalists make a fascinating starting point for a project. The Natural History Museum's 'Virtual Endeavour' mini-site is visually appealing, interactive and packed full of facts, maps, artefacts and drawings.

Click on this link to see Virtual Endeavour.

Once the children have explored the site discuss the technological differences that would exist were the voyage to take place tomorrow. Have the children think about the useful inventions that have been made since 1768, and how they would help scientists to record and observe the natural world.

As it is obviously difficult to explore real uncharted territory with thirty-five schoolchildren in the space of an hour, the key to this exploration is that the children imagine they are miniature people, just arrived in the school grounds.

In the tradition of all the best explorers, the children need a ship - a method of transport and a base for the project. Their imaginations can run wild here, inventing wild and wacky overland ships complete with labs and living quarters. Have the children plan and draw these as part of their design and technology or art time.

Once the ship is designed the observations can take place. Choose an area to explore, and have them imagine how that would look if they were minute.

A lesson could be usefully spent on deciding how observations will be made and recorded. They could use computers if possible to create an observation sheet.

Now head outside, observing, taking photographs if possible, making notes and carefully collecting specimens to draw back in the classroom. This part of the project could be brief or expansive, depending upon time and resources.

An important element of the legacy of great explorers is their notes and diaries. These could form the basis of some fantastic literacy lessons, imaging the obstacles they would have to overcome in their miniature forms, and how the local flora and fauna would look to them.

The whole project would make a wonderful display. The ship diagrams, nature drawings, record sheets and explorer diaries could be made into books or several different themed display boards.

An extension activity would be to discuss the technological differences and useful inventions that have been made since The Endeavour's voyage in 1768, and how they help scientists to record and observe the natural world.