School talks and displays.

[Adrian]

My ten year old daughter came home yesterday and announced her class/year are going to be learning about World War Two this term. She mentioned to her teacher that her Dad collects medals and the teacher asked if some could be brought into school to show the class. She went to school this morning with a message that there is no problem with that but the medals will not be taken out of my sight!
Today it appears I've been volunteered to go into school with medals etc and talk about them, the history behind them etc.
I'm sure a few members have done a similar thing so have you got any tips or suggestions as to how to go about it? What subject matters could I cover? What artifacts go down well with ten year olds? How do I stop boredom setting in?
I will have my German collection to select from, a few English items and possibly some American if I ask my brother nicely......
Any help would be appreciated!

[Woolgar]

I had to do this once and do a talk on the Dambuster raid!

I wouldnt worry about keeping their attention,if you start with a scary story or facts about WW2 , they will hang on your every word !

Be prepared to answer some bizarre questions without laughing !

Get them involved by letting them handle items ( provide white gloves )

Good luck mate !

Nick

[M18922]

Most questions would be things like how do you get them, how much do they cost, did any come off a dead soldier exc.
I wish someone came to are school with ww2 items....!

Best regards and good luck.
Patrick Lewis

[rbminis]

Items they can handle will always hold their attention Adrian!
Good on you! Good luck also.
Ralph.

[Woolgar]

Most questions would be things like how do you get them, how much do they cost, did any come off a dead soldier exc.
I wish someone came to are school with ww2 items....!

Best regards and good luck.
Patrick Lewis

yes Pat and " did you kill anyone to get those medals? "

Nick

[milmuseum]

Ade, I have been doing this for about 12 years. I have visited many grade and high schools, air shows, military bases etc.... The history teachers love it because I tell the stories behind the artifacts and uniforms, speaking as to what the soldier did to earn his medals or how he came upon an item. I leave the stuff about the generals and the politicians to the teachers. The best advice is to secure your items well. 10 Yr olds are not too bad to deal with but they like to touch things. I use 105 Howitzer ammo boxes with plexiglass as a cover. Easy to transport / open and keeps things secure. I have found this to be very rewarding and I always encourage parents to be involved when I take my display to a school. Here in the US I also display quite a few weapons. They are all real. Not sure of the laws where you are but as long as you let the principal know ahead of time it should be OK. I let the kids handle some things. As long as it is nothing they can hurt themselves and it's not too fragile, why not? I have a pair of field phones I set up and wire together so they can talk and send mores code ( always a hit) All of the kids, teachers and parents absolutely love the items I bring in. I judge by the age of the kids as to which story I tell about which item. Middle and high scoolers can handle just about anything. The younger ones I try to soften the stories a bit, like telling them bayonets are handy for getting apples off of trees etc... Most 10 yr olds are fairly mature and very curious. I usually start off by telling a bit about myself, my military career and then speak about a few interesting items. The I let them come up and look at the items and ask questions. Signs on the table asying " Please don't touch are a must. Explain the rules during your introduction and you'll be fine. I'm afraid you will find this addicting when you see the interest from the students. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck

Burt

[M18922]

I am only talking from past experiance of bringing in a Mutterkreuz, there was some other questions silly but they dont come to mind.

Best regards,
Patrick

[Nick Hessens]

Keep them interested and have fun yourself. Tell them you are about to build a sub and why this means so much to you.

Regards

[GIZMO8Z]

Hello!

I am a certified New York State 7th-12th grade history teacher. I LOVE bringing in historical artifacts because it's something out of the ordinary and it helps hold their attention a whole hell of a lot better than notes, lectures, and even movies. It helps students realize that events in history books are a lot more than just ink on paper. Bringing in WWII artifacts is especially a hit because of all recent pop-culture surrounding the conflict. The Medal of Honor and Call of Duty videogames, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, etc.

I would highly recommend having your presentation be as hands-on as possible. It will help them put down their cell phones, ipods, etc. and actually pay attention. At the very least, hold the objects and walk around the room to show them.

I would recommend explaining how you acquired each object. I would also explain how individual solldiers earned the medals and awards you show them. The students will love to actually handle the objects and try them on. They will latch onto the gruesome aspects of items like wound badges, helmets with battle damage and blood on the liner, etc. They will love the taboo behind objects with swastikas. I would also recommend gearing the presentation to both male and female students. Male students will love information about combat, female students will appreciate it if you show and explain ration cards from the home front... explain that with rationing going on, people couldn't just go out to the store and buy whatever they wanted... explain that women were essential to the war effort as factory workers, nurses, and some were damn good pilots, etc.

I'm sure more things will come to mind... there is so much you can do with a presentation like this. I wish you the best of luck! Let me know if I can help, or if you have any questions from my experiences!

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[RH1941]

Adrian I've done a couple displays for seniors on veterans day here in the states . It's a lot of fun. When I did it the vets liked to tell stories of things they did ,and the family liked the artifacts. Bayonets , helmets, and medals were big with the kids. The first show I did a couple of my medals vanished from the display . So now everything is in a case . Good luck have fun. Gary