Museum braced for increase in school visits

posted on 23/09/2012: 398 views

School visits to the Natural History and Botanical Museum are expected to increase significantly this year, according to the curator.

Shamsa Al Ketbi told Gulf News that the museum hosted almost 31,000 students last year and expects that number to rise to 40,000. 
The popularity is down to the fact that visits can be adapted to suit either primary or middle school children, making the museum an attractive destination for pupils of all ages.

The museum also provides guided tours for up to 30 students at a time and features exhibits focusing on Sharjah's past and present, while interactive displays help them to learn how deserts are formed and how animals have adapted to live there. There is even a workshop on the different types of sand in the UAE and children are taught why it is a different colour in different areas of the country.

In other exhibits, pupils can take a trip back through time to encounter volcanoes, dinosaurs and meteorites, or walk along the seabed and learn about marine life in the Arabian Gulf.

Also, teachers can print out worksheets, in both Arabic and English, which help the students focus on the main themes in the museum.

However, Al Ketbi stressed that the museum also had an eye on the present and the future and had implemented a workshop on recycling.

The museum's latest addition, she said, is the butterflies corner, which was gifted by his His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.

The Natural History Museum was inaugurated in November of 1995 and was renamed Sharjah Natural History and Botanical Museum in 2008 after the addition of the botanical museum. – Gulf News

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