Primary from Year 2 to Year 6
The wolf has a special place in Western culture. The wolf’s exploits (and victims!) are recounted in untold stories such as The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
This workshop encourages children to adjust their beliefs to the animal that exists in the real world. The workshop explains that the wolf is actually the ancestor of an animal that most children know and love: the dog. The wolf, naturally quite reserved, is a predator which has to kill for food to survive but is actually no more ferocious than any other carnivore. Children will discover that the wolf is not the solitary animal they may believe it to be but lives in a pack, that a she-wolf is an attentive mother, that the wolf avoids contact with humans and that wolves howl to communicate with one another and not to frighten us.
The aim of the workshop is to present wolves objectively, from a zoological perspective. Children will discuss variety between individuals, their coat and their expressions. The family structure (pack) is described along with some of the mimics and attitudes which govern the relationships between members. These social and family structures no doubt account for much of the fascination humans have with wolves.
Above and beyond its ecological context, the wolf will be placed in its taxonomic context, i.e. the species Canis lupus within the Carnivora order. The ancestry relations between the dog and the wolf are also presented.
Groups of children will take it in turns to observe the museum’s specimens with a facilitator and participate in a research workshop led by the teacher guided by a questionnaire and various books provided.
Workshop aims:
- Describe and know the wolf’s morphology
- Understand its place in the Carnivora order
- Learn about its diet, reproduction and behaviour
- Learn about its place in nature and identify the possible implications of their decline and reintroduction
- Conduct research and learn some new words
During the workshop, the facilitator will present a slideshow and a selection from the Museum of Bordeaux collections including wolf skin, skulls and more. Children will also get to work with learning resources specially devised or assembled for the session.
To book a workshop of The Museum comes to you and on all administrative matters, the secretariat is listening to you.
By phone: 05 24 57 65 30
By e-mail: museum@mairie-bordeaux.fr
