Last week we got to implement the Ruritage co-monitoring activity; Mini-landscape developed by University of Plymouth. Together with 4th graders from Husabø Skole we hiked to a summit close to their school, called Varberg. This is an iconic mountain and one of 4 summits surrounding Egersund city. On top of the mountain there is an old tower/antenna which was once used for television signals. During WW2 the Nazis used Varberg as a viewpoint, and they built an intricate maze of tunnels inside the mountain. Today there is a walking trail around Varberg, and schools use this area for nature studies and recreational activities. All people close to Egersund has some kind of relationship to Varberg. Each group of children got a circle of rope to make their mini landscape within. We spent some time looking at the area, describing orally what they saw. Then they were divided into groups of 4 and 5, and they got to work. The task was motivating, and the children cooperated well. The result was several well-built mini-Varbergs. Using multiple senses and being outside is an added value and motivation for 10-year-olds. The children were very attentive to the directions given and they were careful to add as many details as possible to their product. Putting words to what you see makes you more aware of the landscape.
Mini-landscape!
