The Etches Collection – Museum of Jurassic Marine Life offers a unique opportunity to learn about Earth’s natural history through our educational programmes, connected to national curriculum learning outcomes. Students will learn about fossils, geology, palaeontology, Earth sciences, the past and present world, and local heritage along with historical and modern-day pioneers in these important sciences.
Here at the museum, we know that Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) is a well proven approach for students’ educational growth and also benefits teachers too. That is why we have built this entirely new LOtC educational experience, inspiring and amazing students of all ages from the moment they step through the entrance of the museum and spot the monstrous Jurassic ocean food chain suspended above them.
Visits are tailored to suit each school, depending on the size of the group, their Key Stage and any special educational needs. A school visit takes around 3-4 hours. Teachers and Assistants have free admission.
A standard Primary School visit costs £7 per child and includes:
An interactive core lesson, e.g: “The Jurassic Coast, Fossils and Mary Anning” or “Rocks, Fossils and Mary Anning”
Hands-on activities, with guidance from our museum team, including:
o Design-O-Saur Competition. Students create their own extraordinary, prehistoric beasts from their imagination.
o Fossils under the Microscope. Students use a powerful zoom microscope to examine a range of fossils.
o “Kitchen Roll of Time”. Students create a nine metre long Natural History timeline, from the formation of Earth to the present day, based on the fossil record.
Tour of the fossil collection: Students are guided around the museum and shown the most significant fossils whilst the Jurassic oceans are brought to life on giant CGI screens above them. Throughout the tour, students consider how Jurassic life constantly adapted to survive, and species evolved to succeed in very competitive environments.
SHOP VISIT – Schools decide if they want time for their students to explore the museum shop.
BAY VISIT – Optional supervised visit to Kimmeridge Bay. These visits are dependent on tide times, age of children, size of group, sufficient time, and availability of museum staff.
For Secondary School and Sixth Form programmes or to discuss your specific requirements, please contact our Museum Education Coordinator - Nick Nugent email: nick.nugent@theetchescollection.org or call 01929 270000.
ONLINE RESOURCES
YouTube - Our YouTube channel is packed full of informational videos. These can be found on YouTube or HERE on our website.
Etches Online - Our online subscription service provides access to a range of useful resources including Steve’s scientific papers. Click HERE to learn more.
An Exploration of Planet Earth - Our online lecture series covers a huge range of topics and great collection of talks for anyone interested in Planet Earth. Find out more HERE.
For our latest safe guarding policy please see here.
