Nursery and primary to Year 2
The wolf has a special place in Western culture.
More than any other carnivore, the wolf is the physical manifestation of a child’s fears, anxieties and terrors as well as their desires. Every child has heard of the Big Bad Wolf. Even if today’s children’s literature tends to soften or poke fun at the traditional image of the wolf, the terrifying beast with big, yellow eyes and a gaping mouth full of fangs still manages to send shivers down a spine or two. The wolf’s exploits (and victims!) can be found in untold stories such as The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
The Where are you Mr Wolf? workshop provided by the ‘Museum comes to you’ is based on popular children’s stories to present a realistic counterpoint to the fictional portrayal. It 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 the reason wolves howl is to communicate with one another and not to frighten us.
Children can then enjoy a learning session with the resources provided.
Workshop aims:
- Describe and know the wolf’s morphology
- Learn about its diet, reproduction and behaviour
- Discover its place in nature
- Listen to a story and discuss it after
- Tell the difference between real life and fiction
- Learn how to use children’s reference books
During the workshop, the facilitator will present a slideshow and a selection from the Museum of Bordeaux collections. Participants will also be introduced to learning resources specially devised for the workshop.
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
