Hands On Gang Treasure Boxes

Hands On Gang Treasure Boxes

CHILDREN’S CENTRES & MUSEUMS FAMILY LEARNING PROJECT

The Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Service, the Preston Museums Group and Preston children’s centres have collaborated in a pilot project which aims to promote family learning and encourage families to access Preston’s museums.

The National Football Museum, the Museum of Lancashire and the Harris Museum and Art Gallery along with Stoneygate children's centre, Riverbank children's centre, Preston East children's centre and Preston West children's centre have worked together to develop some exciting resources for children and families linked to the museums’ collections.

Marketing

Preston museums have recently undergone some changes; adopting a new family-targeted marketing strategy encouraging hard to reach families to visit their local museum; developing their services by introducing better facilities and family trails with the hope of aiding less confident visitors.

You can find more information at their website www.prestonhandsongang.com

The museums service has worked in partnership with staff from children's centres to produce three 'Hands On Gang Treasure Boxes' which are available for children's centres to loan. Each treasure box has been developed with input from the Early Years and family support practitioners from children's centres as well as staff from each of the museums.

The treasure boxes contain objects and resources which relate to the museum collection, suggestions for use, information on the museum, photographs, vouchers and information cards. The boxes have been designed for use with young children and their parents/carers in groups and activity sessions to encourage families to learn together, both in a children's centre environment and also in a museum itself, by giving them the confidence to access their local museum as a family. The museums involved are also able to offer an outreach service to children's centres to support the use of the treasure boxes with families in the centres.

For more information on the project please contact Jaclyn Hargreaves Jaclyn.Hargreaves@lancashire.gov.uk or to loan a box:

Contact Preston West children's centre on 01772 727032 to borrow the National Football Museum treasure box.

Contact Stoneygate children's centre on 01772 257865 to borrow the Harris Museum and Art Gallery treasure box.

Contact Riverbank children's centre on 01772 906970 to loan the Museum of Lancashire treasure box.