Interview with Claire Welsh - Primary Schools Programme Manager

BS: One of the things I've been interested in is your technique of telling stories as a method of communicating scientific knowledge. I was wondering if you would tell me a little bit more about that and where you came across that idea.

CW I tell you what, when you interview Sarah, in, whenever it's going to be in a week or two she'll be the person to ask in that she was, they were up and running by the time I was here, and, so I can't give you much sort of background to it. I mean, I think the way, young children love, stories, and, basically the planetarium, I don't know if, you haven't had a chance to go in when it's been a story time, have you?

BS. Not storytime, no.

CW: Well, I mean, just imagine, you know, all these trees, all around, and it's, it's just a lovely setting really. And so, it's nice if you can have a nice story space and then kids just love, love stories. And really, the focus that I always say to the people presenting it, you've got to be able to tell a good story, that's got to be the focus and the science is incidental in a way. But like, I mean for example, Dozy Dormouse that's happening today - all the - takes place in the woods, there's lots of animals in the woods so as we're giving out - all the children have puppets so they've all got their own character. And basically as, as we're giving the puppets out, we then talk about what do the, well what does, you know, what do the snails eat. And what do the, what do the, in the winter time they have a long, long sleep, does anyone know what that's called. Hibernation, you know. And - so, for each animal then we're talking about what they eat, talking about what they do in winter. And in the, in the story, as we go through the story we go through the winter and so, the snails slide into their shell and they sleep and they snore and they sleep and they snore etc. And we look at what all the animals, do. So, it's brought in in the story and then it's reinforced. And then there's - we have a game at the end then, like a pass the parcel type of thing. They've all got their own animal puppet and they take, some food out of the bag, you know. And if it's a - if there's a worm and they're a bird they say "munch, munch, lovely lunch" you know. So, they're, hopefully by the end then they've learnt what all these different animals, eat, and also, what- how they survive during the winter. You know, what each of them do. So that's, that's a lot of, a lot of science, but, the main focus is, we're telling the story. So most of it is the story.