<![CDATA[My Learning RSS Feed]]> <![CDATA[My Learning]]> <![CDATA[Science Week 12 -21 March]]> National Science and Engineering Week takes the nation by storm with hundreds of events and activities during 12–21 March 2010! This year's theme is 'Earth' in support of International Year of Biodiversity. ]]> <![CDATA[It's Fairtrade Fortnight 22 February - 7 March 2010]]> Global Citizens Interactive
From Slave Trade to Fairtrade
 Why bother buying Fairtrade?
Bitter Sweet History - Aspects of the British Slave Trade
Human Rights - Children's Rights
]]> <![CDATA[Free Citizenship Conference - 1 March 2010, Leeds]]> This event will support the recent launch of the OfSTED report on Citizenship. The day will provide an opportunity to showcase excellence in Citizenship from the museums, libraries and archives sector, and to debate education-related citizenship issues.
 
Date: Monday 1 March 2010
Times: 9.00am-4.00pm
Venue: Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds
 
The event is being organised by the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA), for teachers, cultural educators and other children & young people's sector professionals.
 
To reserve a place, please complete the booking form, available to download from the MLA website - see link below.

For general enquiries about this event, please contact: Ali Bodley on 0788 4444 675.
]]> <![CDATA[Science Week at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum]]> For ONE WEEK only at Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Lancashire, 15–19 March 2010, we are offering exciting, practical, hands-on science workshops led by highly respected specialists.
 
The sessions (either morning (10.00 – 12.00) or afternoon (12.30 – 2.30) consist of 4 workshops running simultaneously and are suitable for Key Stage 2 & 3 children.
 
Your pupils will:
  • find out about circuits and conductors, magnets and electromagnets
  • discover the power of wind and water and how we can harness that power
  • investigate the different characteristics of materials, looking at reversible and irreversible changes
  • explore spur and bevel gears and discover how they are used today.

The cost per pupil: £4.00 LCC / £4.50 non LCC schools and all accompanying adults are free.

 

ANY SCHOOLS INTERESTED IN TAKING UP THIS WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS SCIENCE WEEK, PLEASE RING OR EMAIL THE MUSEUM FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

 
Helmshore Mills Textile Museum
Telephone: 01706 226 459

Email: helmshoremuseum@lancashire.gov.uk

]]> <![CDATA[What's on at the Dales Countryside Museum]]> Throughout the year, the Dales Countryside Museum hosts a number of events, workshops and demonstrations. There is also an exciting programme of changing exhibitions, which can be seen free of charge in the John Richard Baker Exhibition Hall. Topics are wide-ranging to ensure that throughout the year there's something for everyone to enjoy.


Exhibition:
27 February – 28 March 2010
Writer and photographer, David Morgan Rees presents
'A Village in View – Marske in Swaledale'
Drawings, watercolours and photographs of a special Dales community

Events:
16 February 2010
'Sheep to Scarf'
Demonstration in the museum foyer between 2 – 5pm.
 Fran Coates will explain all the processes from the raw fleece, through dyeing, carding, spinning, and knitting techniques

17 February 2010
 'Discover and Do'
An afternoon of craft activities for children. 2 – 4pm.
 £3 charge

To find out more, Tel: 01969 666210 or visit the Museum website (see link below)
]]> <![CDATA[Explore the Mysteries of The East at the Royal Armouries]]> Banish the last of the January blues and discover treasures from Japan and China at the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds, next weekend ( 30 and 31 January 2010).


Venture into the Dragons’ Den and enjoy the first of the Armouries’ Dangerously Entertaining events for 2010 – with a fun-packed, informative programme that’s designed to appeal to all the family.

Highlights include dramatic live performances including:
  • A traditional Chinese Lion Dance at 12 noon on Saturday
  • Arts and crafts activities where kids can make dragon puppets and Samurai warrior “helmets”
  • A chance to get up close and personal with objects from both the RA, and Leeds Discovery Centre’s oriental collections
  • Sushi making demonstrations and tastings, courtesy of the head chef at Yo Sushi in Leeds
  • Tai Chi demonstrations
  • Origami workshops and themed interpretations, including arming a Samurai warrior.

Museum visitors can also enjoy special guided tours of the Armouries’ Oriental Collection, giving a unique overview of these great Asian civilisations, via their arms and armour.


Museum entry is free although a small charge may apply to some activities.

For more details of this weekend’s event – and other forthcoming Dangerously Entertaining events – visit www.royalarmouries.org
]]> <![CDATA[The Legacy of Hope]]> Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated annually on 27 January, the date in 1945 when Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated.  We invite you to pause and remember the victims and those whose lives were deeply affected by the Holocaust, by listening to the stories of two survivors:

Iby Knill recently related her experiences as a young Jewish girl in Czechoslovakia and Hungary during the Second World War, to Year 10 Pupils in Bradford. In June 1944 Iby was transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which she later left by volunteering for labour at a hospital unit.  Iby was eventually freed by Allied Forces whilst on a march from the camp on Easter Sunday 1945.  Watch student Abbie Whitworth's digital response to Iby's story on our sister site, My Yorkshire.
 
Heinz Skyte and his brother escaped to England in 1939, but at the outbreak of war they were designated 'enemy aliens' by the Leeds authorities and sent to an internment camp in Canada.  Watch the series of 10 short videos on My Yorkshire, in which Heinz relates his experiences in Germany and England during the years immediately prior to and following the outbreak of the Second World War.
 
Find out more about the Legacy of Hope on the Holocaust Memorial Day website (link below).
]]> <![CDATA[Nothing Compared to the Winter of '47!]]> If you're fed up of the snow and ice, just remember that the current wintry weather has been with us for only a month.  In 1947, snow fell somewhere in the UK for 55 days in a row between January and March!
 
Thousands of people were cut off in their villages by snowdrifts up to seven metres deep. Rivers and lakes froze and there were even blocks of ice spotted at sea.   Snow covered most of the land every day for more than two months.
 
In the Yorkshire Dales, Nellie Porter, who was heavily pregnant at the time, witnessed sheep having to be hacked from the ground where they'd become frozen in, and roads blocked by deep snowdrifts meant their farm was cut off for days at a time. 

Listen to Nellie's story:  The Winter of '47, and see amazing images from the 1950s of snow drifts in the Yorkshire Dales, on our sister site, My Yorkshire.
]]> <![CDATA[My Learning featured at BETT]]> Culture 24 will have a stand (L59) at this year's BETT exhibition for teachers at Olympia, London. Actors as Florence Nightingale will help BETT's visitors understand the huge range of online resources that the cultural sector has to offer teachers. My Learning's resources will be even easier to find on C24 thanks to new 'teacher specific' search functionality.   ]]> <![CDATA[Leeds City Museum 'Makes a Difference' ]]> The Leeds City Museum has won a 'Making a Difference in Yorkshire and The Humber' Award in the category of 'Building Cultural Spaces'.  The award recognises where there has been a significant impact through cultural activities.
 
The photo shows (from left to right) Binny Baker, Head of Access at the Yorkshire Film Archive; Ed Torsney, Creative Director of Mojo Media; and Gabrielle Hamilton, Curator of Community History at Leeds Museums & Galleries.
 
The community engagement programme at the City Museum, funded through Renaissance Yorkshire, the Regional Museums Hub, has involved working in partnership with the Yorkshire Film Archive to create a series of themed film exhibitions documenting contemporary life in Leeds - Steps in Time, Faith in the City and A Greener City.

The Faith, Voluntary and Community Sector in the city has been an integral part of this programme and the films have given a voice in the museum to local community groups across the city, representing and celebrating cultural diversity.  Displays of objects lent to the museum in the Community Cases in the Leeds Gallery curated and interpreted by different community groups  have complemented the film exhibitions.

Work continues into 2010 with the launch of A Greener City in January.
 
The 'Making a Difference in Yorkshire and The Humber' Awards celebrate the achievements of local authorities around the region, recognising the hard work and commitment of individuals and teams in making a real difference to the lives of people across Yorkshire and Humber.  Congratulations to everyone involved! 
]]> <![CDATA[Bradford wins Best Film by Young Animators at BAF 2009!]]> The Strategic Commissioning project Anim8ed Stories was greatly honoured with the award Best Film Produced by Young Animators for “Immersion, Emergence”. The film was made by a class of Year 8 from Titus Salt School. The school worked with the animator David Bunting and Luke Owens from Cartwright Hall Art Gallery to produce the film. They had been inspired by the artwork of Arpana Caur and Lubna Chowdray, which they had seen on a visit to Cartwright Hall.

 
The Jury said “We were very taken with the style, which expressed the narrative very well. We were extremely impressed by the discipline exercised in this school project, which achieved the set task within the self-imposed limits. The combination of warm colours, coherence and depth makes this film an all round achievement.”
]]> <![CDATA[Christmas Holiday Activities at Bradford's Museums and Galleries]]> Bolling Hall Museum
Wed 23 Dec – Card Making Workshop

One hour slots 10-11am, 11-12, 1-2pm, 2-3pm
Booking essential - please call 01274 431826

 

Bradford Industrial Museum
Throughout December – The Industrial Museum Christmas Trail

 
Cliffe Castle
22 December - Toys and Games

11am-3pm

Explore toys old and new and make a toy to take away!

 
Bracken Hall Countryside Centre
Glen Road, Baildon Shipley, BD17 5EA

Tel: 01274 584140

Friday 18th December - guided walk around Baildon
4¾ miles following the boundary walk and paths around the moor and woodland edges.

Meet at 10.30am - Bring along a snack and a drink.

]]> <![CDATA[Journeys Through Textiles]]> Journeys Through Textiles a partnership project funded and run by English Heritage and Bradford Museums and Galleries, engaged women from local communities in Bradford and Keighley with historic museums and their textile collections.
 
Taster sessions were run in community venues where people discovered their creative skills. From these sessions a group formed, led by local artist Musarat Raza. Visits were made to Brodsworth Hall, Cartwright Hall and Cliffe Castle so the group could work from original designs, samples and the textiles on display. Inspirational talks by staff at Brodsworth Hall and Cliffe Castle Museum introduced the group to the fabulous textile collections and the fascinating history of the sites and their links to the textile industry.
 
An exhibition of the beautiful works produced as part of Journeys Through Textiles is on display at Cliffe Castle in Keighley until 13 December 2009. The exhibition highlights the range of techniques learnt including devoré, embroidery and stencilling.
 
]]> <![CDATA[Sharing European Memories project at Leeds Museum ]]> The Sharing European Memories (SEME)project involves partners in the UK, Italy, Norway, Spain and Poland, and has seen young people collecting WWII veteran memories, which will be shared across Europe in an effort to increase understanding of what war means to different cultures.

The project aims to promote intergenerational dialogue between young and old generations, by means of artistic productions and exhibitions of experienced events in real places, recording history and memories in schools, interviews, digital storytelling and other activities.

Tonight will see young people who have been involved in the project perform in a multimedia event at Leeds Museum. Visitors from Poland, Italy, Spain and Norway also taking part in the collaborative European project will see the performance for the first time, along with parents and teachers of the young performers.
]]> <![CDATA[Remembrance Day marks its 90th Anniversary]]> The Two Minute Silence oral history project, based at the University of Huddersfield, aims to capture the thoughts of people as they mark the annual Remembrance Day silence, which has its 90th anniversary on 11 November 2009.

Through the personal experience and testimony of people, young and old, and from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, they hope to explore the continuing significance of the silence as a way of reflecting on global conflict and the value of peace.
 
How do you remember?  You can listen to audio clips on My Yorkshire of Max Easterman, broadcast journalist, reflecting on his family's connections to the First World War, and his memories of Remembrance Day when he was a child.

 

Then watch the short video featuring poetry written by the schoolchildren at Spring Grove Junior School, Huddersfield reflecting the themes of war and peace mixed with testimony of an Iraqi woman's thoughts on the silence.
 
There are lots more audio clips on the Two Minute Silence project website - see Associated Link below.

Two digital stories on the My Yorkshire website were inspired by Harry Farrar, a young Halifax soldier who was sent to the Western Front in 1918: Roll of Honour and The Burnt Papers.
 
My Yorkshire also hosts several digital stories created by Leeds primary school children inspired by their meeting six World War Two veterans and local people who lived through the War.
 
And here on My Learning, we have several related Learning Journeys to explore:
]]> <![CDATA[National School Meals Week ]]> <![CDATA[Medicine at the Movies]]>

Tuesday 3 November is the opening night of Thackray Museum’s exciting new project with the deaf and hard of hearing communities. All are welcome!

 

The project invites you to explore our collections, meet the curator and handle original historical objects. Then learn film making skills with a professional film maker, and work with others to make a short film about whatever inspires you from our museum. Your film will be screened at our special premieres night in March!

 

Our opening night is open to everyone. Bring family and friends along to see a fascinating selection of medical-related film clips from the past 60 years, accompanied by a presentation by Yorkshire Film Archive. No obligation to sign up for the workshops – just come along and enjoy the films! To book your place, or to find out more contact louisebrown@thackraymuseum.org.

]]> <![CDATA[National Chocolate Week 12- 18 October 2009]]> Give your Citizenship lessons chocolate appeal for
National Chocolate Week!

Use our resources to find out how chocolate has played its part in history 



Bitter Sweet History - aspects of the British Slave Trade
Young Steel Workers, past and present - when was pay spent on Chocolate?
From the Slave Trade to Fairtrade
 
Some of our chocolate related worksheets:
The best cake in the world
Alien Invasion
Your school and the Fairtrade mark
Up and Away
Survival Kits; Shipwrecks
The Divine Chocolate Story
]]> <![CDATA[Celebrate poetry with My Learning]]> Thursday 8 October 2009 was National Poetry Day, and to celebrate we listed some of our resources featuring poems and verse:
 
Listen to two members of Museums Sheffield's Youth Forum read their poem inspired by Sam Taylor-Wood's work at Graves Gallery:
'My Life Suspended' poem by Youth Forum
 
And another inspired by Derek Boshier's 'First Toothpaste Painting':
'The Person in the Toothpaste Tube'
 
Hear a KS3 student read a poem created in response to Marc Quinn's work 'Kiss': 'Stunningly crafted and smooth'
 
Read an Anglo-Saxon poem about life in York, written by Alcuin, the great teacher, scholar and poet: York in A.D.780
 
Listen to a poem by John Hartley, a prolific West Riding dialect poet: Ahr Mary's Bonnet
 
Visit the National Poetry Day 2009 website - related link below.
 
 
]]> <![CDATA[The Big Draw 2009]]> everyone to expand the boundaries of drawing by experimenting with pencils, paint, charcoal, sand, clay, digital imagery, choreographed movement, vapour trails and much more. ]]> <![CDATA[The Black Page sale by auction]]> The Black Page exhibition at Shandy Hall celebrates the 250th anniversary of Vols I & II of Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne.  Page 73 of Volume I is a Black Page which marks the death of Parson Yorick.  73 artists/writers have each been asked to create a 'Black Page' for exhibition and sale by auction.

But which artist created which page? All the works are signed by the artist and for sale, but the signatures of the contributors are hidden beneath the black mounting board. Their descriptions of their work may provide clues.
Each artist has provided a description of the materials used and the making of each page and this is appended under the relevant picture on the blog, and available in the gallery.

Each Black Page is for sale by auction. Bidding starts at £73, to rise in increments of £10 minimum. Bids will be recorded in the comments under the relevant Black Page on the blog and in the gallery at Shandy Hall. Bidding will only be accepted by email shandyhall@dial.pipex.com, letter or in person to Patrick Wildgust, and will close at 11.59pm on October 31st 2009. All monies raised will contribute to the grant by English Heritage to repair the roof at Shandy Hall.
]]> <![CDATA[The Utterly Imaginative World of Lauren Child comes to Hull]]> Ferens Art Gallery in Hull is hosting an exciting touring exhibition from Manchester Art Gallery, supported by the Arts Council.  It is the first ever devoted to Lauren Child's work, has already delighted young and old alike and is set to do the same at the Ferens Art Gallery.  
 
We are pleased to offer a Free Teacher Resource Pack, family events and bookable sessions for pre-school and primary groups (see Associated Web Link below).

 

The exhibition runs from 12 September until 8 November 2009.

]]> <![CDATA[What's on at the Dales Countryside Museum]]> What's in store at the Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes, North Yorkshire this September - from 6 to 27 September 2009 there will be an exhibition of recent work by the Textile Pool, called A Stitch in Paradise.


EVENTS
 

Tuesday 1 September
Friends of the Museum will be spinning and rugmaking in the museum reception between 2 and 4pm


Thursday 3 September
Red Squirrel Conservation Talk 12.30 – 1.30

Friday 11 September
Friends of the museum will be dressed up in the Victorian Kitchen looking at preserving techniques

Sunday 13 September
Digital cameras and computer skills.  10.30am – 4pm.  Learn how to manipulate your images.  Bring your own camera and computer cable.  Charge £12. Booking essential

Friday 18 September
Friends of the Museum host an evening lecture at 7.30.  David Joy will talk on ‘The Settle Carlisle Line – Ribblehead Viaduct and Blea Moor Tunnel’.  Non members welcome

The museum is open every day between 10am and 5pm
Contact the museum for more details of events or to book on
01969 666210, hawes@yorkshiredales.org.uk
]]> <![CDATA[Exploring Local History - A Beginners Guide]]> Come and find out how to begin looking into the history of where you live. Sheffield’s Libraries and Archives have a huge amount of information to help you research your part of Sheffield: photographs, maps, plans, newspapers, school records, business archives and much more.

An archivist and librarian will guide you through how to access these materials at the Central Library and Sheffield Archives as well as how to access information about Archives and Local Studies on the web.
 
Venue: -
Woodhouse Library
Tannery Street
Sheffield
S13 7JU
 
To book your place on this popular free event please contact Sheffield Archives Tel 0114 203 9395 e-mail archives@sheffield.gov.uk
]]> <![CDATA[Beginning Your Family History - An Introduction]]> Have you got the family tree bug?

If you have and you want to find out about what’s available at Sheffield Local Studies Library and Sheffield Archives to help you track down your ancestors come along and hear genealogical expert Suzanne Bingham.

You’ll learn about how to begin tracing your ancestors and how to begin using census returns, birth, marriage and death certificates and church registers etc.
 
Date: 9 September 2009
 
Venue: St Marys Community Centre Bramall Lane Sheffield S2 4QZ
 
To book a place on this popular free event contact Sheffield Archives Tel 0114 203 9395 e-mail archives@sheffield.gov.uk
]]> <![CDATA[Looking After Your Family Papers and Books]]> Come and hear from one of Sheffield Libraries and Archive’s Conservators on how to look after your treasured family papers and valuable books.

Most of us have books or important family papers passed down to us. This session will tell you how to look after them and how to store them safely so that you can pass them on to your loved ones.

If you bring along books or documents the conservator will offer you practical advice on how to care for them.
 
Date: 25 September 2009
 
Venue: Sheffield Archives 52 Shoreham Street Sheffield S1 4SP
 
To book your place on this popular free event Tel 0114 203 9395 e-mail archives@sheffield.gov.uk
]]> <![CDATA[How to Read Old Handwriting - Some Practical Tips]]> If you’re researching local or family history you’ll have come across documents that look difficult to read, but with a little practice and some hints and tips from a Sheffield archivist you’ll soon be reading documents from the 16th and 17th centuries.

At this event you have the chance to see and read original documents from the collections at Sheffield Archives.
 
Date: 20 November 2009
 
Venue: Sheffield Archives 52 Shoreham Street Sheffield S1 4SP
 
To  book your place on this popular FREE event contact Sheffield Archives Tel 0114 203 9395 e-mail archives@sheffield.gov.uk
]]> <![CDATA[Silver Screen Week at Fairfax House, York]]> Fairfax House opens its doors and remembers the era when this building was a cinema in a special Silver Screen Week to be held in September 2009.

From 13th to 20th September to mark the 25th year anniversary since the building opened as a House Museum, Fairfax House will be running a special cinema week and screening old films that were shown when the House when it was run as a cinema. The building was owned between 1921 -1965 by the St George’s Cinema Company and during those years the City of York was awash with cinemas – there were 10 cinema buildings in total in fairly close proximity to each other.
 
THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH (U) Sunday 20th September at 12.45

A young couple inherit a cinema which is falling apart and run by a comically incompetent staff.

 


]]> <![CDATA[Key Sources for Family History]]> Have you got the family tree bug?
If you have and you want to find out what’s available at Sheffield Local Studies Library and Sheffield Archives to help you track down your ancestors, this is the best place to find out.

During this full day workshop you’ll have the chance to develop skills in using census returns, newspapers, church registers, the electoral register and other sources from the Sheffield collections.

Tickets must be booked in advance and will not be available on the door. There is a charge of £10 per person for this whole day event
Tel 0114 203 9395 e-mail archives@sheffield.gov.uk
]]> <![CDATA[Yorkshire Museums Conference - 19 June, Bradford]]> ‘The Art of Persuasion: How to win friends and influence people’

National Media Museum, Bradford
Friday 19 June 2009, 10.00am - 4.00pm
BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW for the biennial Fed Conference (formerly held at Dewsbury Town Hall) - the perfect opportunity to meet up with friends and colleagues, network, and catch up with what's happening in our region and nationally.

Aimed at everyone working in and for museums and art galleries in Yorkshire and surrounding regions.  The theme of the conference is based on the premise that as museums we exercise our powers of persuasion constantly to persuade people to visit, to fund us, to promote us, to spend money in the shop, to visit an exhibition, to read a text panel… the list goes on.

Our speakers will each give their own perspective on the theme, and
delegates will be able to participate in two break-out/workshop sessions on subjects ranging from retail, tourism and marketing, to front-of-house, branding and advocacy.  

Iain Watson, Assistant Director of Tyne and Wear Museums and Director of the Great North Museum project will give the keynote speech.  And there will, of course, be a round-up of the latest developments in Yorkshire and nationally with contributions from Nick Dodd (Renaissance Yorkshire), Keith Bartlett (MLA’s Director of Engagement, North) and Mark Taylor (MA). 

Thanks to sponsorship from Renaissance Yorkshire and the kindness of the National Media Museum in providing the venue, the cost has been kept to £15 per delegate, to cover refreshment costs.

The programme and booking form are available to download from the Fed website at: www.yhfed.org.uk (just register on the site if you don't already have a Fed login, and you will then have access to downloads) or by request to admin@yhfed.org.uk

]]> <![CDATA[Working with Historical Documents]]> <![CDATA[Find out what's on for Yorkshire Geology Month]]> Yorkshire Geology Month is an annual event that runs throughout the month of May.

It brings together all  the organisations in Yorkshire that run public events involving Earth Science - this could be anything from a lecture or a guided walk to a trip down a mine or a fossil roadshow.

For a list of the events that are happening in Yorkshire Geology Month visit www.yorkshiregeologymonth.com (see Associated Web Link below).

Who can get involved?    Absolutely anyone!  The fundamental part of Yorkshire Geology Month is making Earth Science accessible to everyone, so don’t be scared of any jargon, the vast majority of the events are aimed at everybody.

Yorkshire has a fantastic range of geology, from great coal deposits that helped to drive the industrial revolution to the dinosaur footprints that bring to life a long forgotten world. It is important to highlight how important geology is to everybody, it provides petrol for your car or rubber for your shoes, it dictates water that we drink and the plants and animals around us, remember geology underpins EVERYTHING.
 
Check out these geology-related resources on My Learning too:
 
Ideas and Evidence in Science - the Kirkdale Cave
Ruskin and Nature
Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales
]]> <![CDATA[Duke Visits Dales Countryside Museum]]> Red squirrels and relics from the past were all talking points for the Duke of Gloucester during a visit to the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes in April.

The Duke, who was accompanied by Lord Crathorne, the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, met Kevin Lancaster, the chairman of Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, and Authority Deputy Chief Executive Jon Avison as well as members of the YDNPA staff.

He was then taken on a tour of the Museum by its Manager Fiona Rosher and Steve Macaré, the Authority’s Member Champion for Promoting Understanding (see picture).

“He was very interested in the artefacts in the Museum, particularly in our Victorian kitchen,” Fiona said.

Steve said: “It was a great opportunity to explain some of the special qualities of the National Park to him and to highlight different aspects of the cultural heritage of the Yorkshire Dales.”

He also met YNDPA Area Ranger for Upper Wensleydale Matt Neale, who explained briefly how the Authority was working to conserve endangered red squirrels in the area.

The Duke’s trip round the Museum was one of several stops on a visit to the town.   He also visited Gayle Mill, the Wensleydale Creamery and the Ropemakers.
]]> <![CDATA[Explore Art at Leeds Art Gallery]]> Come to the launch of our new and exciting Learning Pack
on Wednesday 13 May, 4.30pm - 6.00pm at Leeds Art Gallery.
 

Our Primary and Secondary Learning Packs have been produced with the help of teachers and artists. They are packed full of curriculum links, pre-, post- and on-site activities, photocopiable sheets and questions to help you and your students explore Art and Creativity.


What do the teachers say? "The lesson plans are brilliant. The questions are very helpful and will encourage children to look at art with 'open eyes'". "A fantastic resource".

Teachers attending the launch will receive a free copy of the Learning Pack and will be able to advance book for our summer workshops:
Be an Art Detective and Ways of Seeing.

RSVP by 7 May 2009 to amanda1.phillips@leeds.gov.uk.

We look forward to seeing you there!
]]> <![CDATA[My Family My Story: research report now available]]> One of the projects funded through the Strategic Commissioning programme between April 2008 and March 2009 explored how partnerships between schools and museums can enhance literacy and language learning and create new opportunities for learning outside the classroom for particular groups,including families.
 
The World of James Herriot and Dr Kate Pahl, Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Studies, University of Sheffield, worked together with the local extended schools co-ordinator and Thirsk community school (you can find out how to run your own family storytelling project on the My Family My Story learning journey on My Learning).
  
Kate is writing about the project for a chapter in a book to be published by Teachers College, New York on Literacy Learning Through Artifacts.
 
In her report for MLA Kate says "This project showed enormous gains in terms of increasing families' confidence, their ability to listen to each other and give space to children who might otherwise be quiet in class. It enabled practitioners to work together in new ways from the museum and the school. It had great potential as a creative methodology that also provided listening opportunities.  The school said that the skills the children acquired could be used in class to support speaking and listening and literacy."

To download the report, just click the Associated Web Link below.
]]> <![CDATA[Aspects of Sheffield]]> Sheffield was recently described as One of the UK's least historic cities (History Today).


Sheffield is hoping to acknowledge its medieval origins in the shape of a visitors centre at Manor Lodge and a city centre park centred on the remains of its long lost castle. Ron Clayton, "Professional Sheffielder", but more often described as a Local Historian looks back at the articles, materials and above all, books that lead to his fascination and familiarity with Sheffield’s history.


In addition there will be a small exhibition of historic materials from the collections at Sheffield Archives and Sheffield Local Studies Library.
 
Date: 10 December 2009
Venue: Quaker Meeting House, 10 St James Street, Sheffield S1 2EW
 
To book your place on this popular free event contact Sheffield Archives Tel 0114 203 9395 e-mail archives@sheffield.gov.uk
]]> <![CDATA[eSafety and Young People Conference: speaker presentations and useful links]]> The eSafety and Young People Conference held at Leeds City Museum on 16 March, brought together over 60 delegates from around the region, to find out more about the eSafety issues affecting the young people that they work with. There was a great mixture of delegates from a range of backgrounds which promoted some interesting discussions and the event received very positive feedback.
 
The speakers' presentations and links to further useful information on the subject of eSafety and Cyberbullying are available on the Yorkshire & Humberside Grid for Learning's website - just follow the Associated Web Link below.
]]> <![CDATA[Minibeasts has a new scary sountrack!]]> French student Judith Dehail was recently commissioned to write a soundtrack for My Learning's very popular Minibeasts interactive.
 
 
 
Here Judith writes about her background and what she felt about being asked to write a soundtrack for Minibeasts.

I live in France and studied musicology for 3 years in Bordeaux. The degree is called a ‘Licence’ in France, the equivalent of a BA. We had classes at the University and at the Conservatoire of Bordeaux, where I played the clarinet and sang in a vocal ensemble. This is where I was first introduced to computer music and to ‘acoustique musicale’ (electronic music, or musique concrète). I studied musicology as an exchange student at University College Berkeley, California for the first year of my Masters degree. This year, I moved to Lyon, where I am studying Museology in Museum studies for the second year of my Masters, at the University of Lyon and at the Ecole Normale Superieure.

A few years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to do an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of New York in their Musical Instruments Department. This confirmed my interest in both music practices and in museums.

I am interested in how music can be used in museums. Creating a soundtrack for York Museum’s Minibeasts interactive has given me the opportunity to integrate music and sounds in a museum setting. I wanted to put the basic computer music skills I had learnt at university to practical use. Often I had ideas but wasn’t sure how to make them real. Working with Lars Wagner has been great, as he knows a lot about music programmes and media, and has been able to help me bring everything together.

Working on the Minibeasts project has taught me a lot, of course, about computer music, also about how to handle a project from beginning to end, and how to respond to expectations and manage constraints.

Lars Wagner who assisted Judith in writing the soundtrack studied audiovisual media at the University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, where he completed a degree in Media Engineering. While having been mainly involved in graphic design, arts and new media design at the beginning of his studies, he got the chance to deepen his interest in film and the moving image. After several independent short films and music video productions he started working as a freelance professional for a German film production company. In the five years as a producer and production manager he shot worldwide TV Campaigns and corporate films for clients such as Chupa Chups, Bosch and Manhattan Cosmetics. Besides his passion for film he was always involved in independent music, singing in a band, setting up shows and supporting tours.

Lars is currently working as a freelance producer and works with photography, electronic music production and new media.

]]> <![CDATA[eSafety and Young People - the issues for museums, libraries, archives and schools]]> A free, regional conference to raise awareness and discuss the issues surrounding eSafety and young people.  For those involved in Museums, Libraries and Archives Services to schools and young people, and others involved in education.


Monday 16 March 2009, 9.30am – 3.45pm
Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 8BH


Speakers and topics to include:

  • Andy Brookes, YHGfL
    eSafety: What is it? Why should we worry about it? What can we do about it?
  • Sue Pickering, British Educational Communications Technology Agency
    How Becta Are Working to Safeguard Children Online
  • John Stead, Anti-Bullying Alliance
    Cyberbullying: A 21st Century Issue for Young People and Schools
  • Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
    CEOP: What Young People Do Online
  • Andrew Lickley and Andy Brookes, YHGfL
    Video Conferencing and eSafety: Issues for Libraries and Museums

Refreshments and buffet lunch included.  Places are limited and must be booked in advance by completing the booking form – places allocated on a first come, first served basis.

]]> <![CDATA[Create your Lasting Moment in Leeds!]]> Visit the Lasting Moment website to explore photographer Marc Riboud’s images and add your own pictures of Leeds! This website is inspired by the exhibition of the works of photographer, Marc Riboud, taking place at Leeds City Museum until 28 June 2009.
 
In 1954 a young French photographer, Marc Riboud, visited Leeds on assignment from Picture Post. A few of these images were printed but the rest were lost until 2004. This rediscovery prompted Riboud to return to Leeds. The City had moved on and his colour pictures capture the city’s growth! Now we want you to continue this, illustrating your Leeds. Share your city, then and now, through your images, thoughts and memories.
 
Visit the Leeds Museums and Galleries website for more information about Marc Riboud and the exhibition or go straight to Lasting Moment website and start exploring and adding your own images!
 
If you have any questions about the exhibition, contact the Curator of Exhibitions at the City Museum. For questions about the lasting moment website, email us at lasting.moment@leeds.gov.uk. ]]> <![CDATA[My Learning's Google maps adds a new dimension to Bradford's Inventions in Transport!]]> Thanks to our brand new Google maps feature, now you can not only download images and read all about the ground-breaking inventions in motor engineering and transport that were being developed in Bradford in the 19th and early 20th Centuries, you can also look at aerial map views of where it all happened!
 
Just click on the  Associated Web Link below to try it out yourself - each plot on the Bradford map takes you straight to lots of information and images about what was invented there.
 
See where, in 1901, John House used to run 3-cylinder Daimlers from the Yorkshire Penny Bank to Lister Park gates, at a fare of 1 penny, or where, in 1907, the first tramcars to run on taper tracks between Bradford and Leeds set off from.
]]> <![CDATA[NEW Interactive Egyptians and Animals in Sheffield ]]> You and your class attends a morning workshop at Museums Sheffield: Weston Park then uses Ultra-Mobile PCs in the afternoon to follow an interactive trail around the museum.
Completing puzzles, activities and games, pupils will learn something new as well as reinforcing what they have learnt.
Pupils also create a Word document, in which they can record answers verbally, which the school is given on CD to be used for follow up work or class presentations.
There are two trails available: the ancient Egyptians or animal adaptation. Suitable for upper KS2. £115 for the day. Choose either an 'Interactive Egyptians' or 'Interactive Animals' day.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Jacqueline O’Neil on 0114 2782653. To book a session, please contact Pauline Sharkey on 0114 2782655.

]]> <![CDATA[My Learning E-Bulletin Online Archive]]> If you miss an edition of our termly newsletter, or just want to refer back to one that you received previously - you can now access all our My Learning E-Bulletins on the Online Archive page - just follow the Associated Web Link below.

]]> <![CDATA[Hull Traders: Revolutionary Post-War Fabrics and Furniture]]>
Big bold abstracts in eye-popping colours, Shirley Craven's extraordinary textiles capture all the exuberance of the Swinging Sixties.  A ground-breaking exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull - Craven's native city - celebrates Craven's remarkable creative partnership with Hull Traders, the company who printed her designs.
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