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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you let your kids take part in this?

115 replies

oliviapl · 02/02/2017 10:09

NC as this is a bit outing.

I have been asked to do an assembly in a local school to my university. Its a way to get kids interested in STEM and several people are going on separate days to give a talk/assembly session on their area of study/work. Mine is forensic and crime science. As you can imagine trying to pick something that isn't too gory but not too boring but not too difficult was really hard.

I've eventually decided to go with a talk on forensic archaeology (digging up bones). I am going to give a little talk about what it is, the different bones, how we can use these bones to tell sex, age and height of a person. Then I will have several activity stations (all the same but lots so small groups can each have a go) where the kids can dig up some bones, lay them out, label them and use the skills I talked about in the session to determine sex and age.

The age group is 8-11 years old. Do you think this will be okay for them?
I have to submit the idea myself and I don't want to look like an idiot by suggesting something too old or something parents might not find appropriate. I don't have much experience with kids so not really sure myself. Any feedback would be great, thanks!

OP posts:
SoEverybodyDance · 02/02/2017 10:55

This sounds totally brilliant. Can you come and do it at our school please! My 7 year old would love it. We have already 'dug up' some bones, mummies, dinosaurs etc in those little packs and we had a 'dig' up birthday party with frozen 'bones' and other dinosaur skeletons buried in sand. The children were totally absorbed.

I think children have the ability to deal with and question some quite difficult topics. My son saw a program on ancient Greece recently where archeologists dug up some pots with burnt bones of children. Evidently they were sacrificed and he has been discussing this with me in a mature way quite a bit since.

He also asks me about Donald Trump every day. Today it was about why Trump appeared to hate Muslims. I don't know where he is hearing about this and I wish I knew what to say to him... Sad

contrary13 · 02/02/2017 10:59

I gave a talk on this very subject - being a forensic archaeologist, myself - to my DS' class at school when they were in Year 1, because of "Careers Week" (didn't want to give the talk, got roped into it by another teacher and because my DS was adamant that he wanted me to go in and waffle!). Intended to keep it short, but the kids had so many questions (as did the teachers) that I ended up trapped there for about an hour. Like you, I was expecting a bit of a backlash from the parents - but there wasn't any. Either the kids forgot to tell them about it, or they weren't remotely concerned.

Death happens. Kids have to learn about it and/or burial at some point in their lives...

Also, yoohoo, real bones are pretty fragile things (depending on soil conditions and if they've had a mechanical digger accidentally finding them)... and kids can be heavy handed Grin

Original poster
oliviapl · 02/02/2017 10:59

There are others going in to talk about Chemistry, Biology and there's an Engineering student going to do a talk too. I can't help but think Forensics is the best though Wink

I think any difficult questions I will sideline to a teacher as much as possible regarding heaven etc as I don't want to say the wrong thing and upset anyone or the parents. But I do think its important to show kids science is more than chemistry, biology and physics!

OP posts:
Megatherium · 02/02/2017 11:01

If you're not sure, ask the school.

KC225 · 02/02/2017 11:05

My 6 year old took in a moose bone that had been killed by a bear to show and tell. The bone was found on a forest walk in rural Sweden. There were teeth marks on the bone from the bear. Apparently there was a few 'urggghhh gross' but it was voted the beat show and tell.

I think the kids would love it

GallivantingWildebeest · 02/02/2017 11:07

I'd love this too and so would one of my dc. However, the other would find it gross and be sad about the dead people...

ThomasRichard · 02/02/2017 11:10

That sounds fantastic! My nearly7yo would love it so I'm sure older kids would be fine.

FV45 · 02/02/2017 11:11

Sounds brilliant!

I went into school to talk to 9 year olds when it was science week. They are obsessed with gore and death and all that stuff! They'll love it.

I won't say what I do, but we somehow ended up talking about cryogenics and dead people, which is NOTHING to do with my line of work.

It is SO rewarding sharing how you love your job with the next generation.

I'm currently mentoring a couple of lower 6th students.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 02/02/2017 11:12

My five year old would love this lol.

babybythesea · 02/02/2017 11:13

DD1 is 8. She'd be shoving other kids out of her way to get involved. (I exaggerate but you get the drift!)
We did something over the summer where the kids 'helped' uncover a dinosaur find. Could they find a bone and match it to the picture of a skeleton to identify it? They had a blast.
Go for it.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 02/02/2017 11:14

Reminds me I need to go to 'dig' in York with him in summer lol

pudcat · 02/02/2017 11:17

A brilliant idea. When I taught 7 year olds we had visits from owls each year. The part of the visit that the children thought the best was dissecting the owl pellets and trying to identify the small mammals from the bones the owl could not eat.

Kr1stina · 02/02/2017 11:18

I have two kids in primary and they would love this!

Well done for putting so much time and thought into it .

Kr1stina · 02/02/2017 11:19

I should say that this is exactly the kind of thing that inspires children to find out more about STEM.

weegiemum · 02/02/2017 11:20

My dc are 13,15,17 and would love this! Would have loved it at primary age too. Hope it goes well, it sounds like a brilliant teaching session (from a teacher!).

Original poster
oliviapl · 02/02/2017 11:23

pudcat I remember doing that at school!

I wanted it to be something interesting but also interactive - I remember guest assemblies could be so boring and I'd rather be in lessons so I thought I'd make it something they would all prefer to be doing than being in lessons Blush Hopefully more kids will want to join into their science club to get to do this kind of thing again when they hear what their class mates who are in the club were off doing IYSWIM.

OP posts:
FetchezLaVache · 02/02/2017 11:23

It sounds absolutely brilliant! I would leap at the chance for DS to do something like this. Just make sure the letter home makes clear they're casts of bones and not actual human remains.

buttercup54321 · 02/02/2017 11:23

My son asked if he could dig up his great grandfather when he was small!! The kids will love it.

Maudlinmaud · 02/02/2017 11:24

Kid will love this.
When I was in primary school we went to our local museum to view a Mummy and I've brought my children back to see her, we also saw a bog man. Great experience.

Ginorchoc · 02/02/2017 11:26

Sounds great! Anything to do with bones, finger and shoe prints, glow in the dark blood they'll love.

Northend77 · 02/02/2017 11:27

I really think, if it's feasible, you should take this on tour around schools in the country!! Perhaps with your other talkers. Encouraging STEM teaching in engaging and fun ways is such a huge thing (I remember being bored to tears by some of my science teachers). My girls are only 2 however I would personally have loved this and I hope to encourage this sort of interest in them. My Dad did something similar and did a few talks to schools about engineering to try to encourage girls into the field

Northend77 · 02/02/2017 11:28

And not even schools - I'd pay for my girls to do this at a hall somewhere!! GO ON TOUR!!!!!

Northend77 · 02/02/2017 11:29

In fact, it's given me an idea to put to the organisers of our local Science Festival (Cheltenham - it's a huge event)!! OK, I'll stop posting now!!

SansComic · 02/02/2017 11:30

Your idea is fantastic and is a lesson many 'proper' teachers would be proud of.

Make sure you properly brief the teachers - make use of them as resources.

re. "heaven", don;t sideline that to a teacher. You are the teacher. Say something along the lines of, 'different people believe different things but these are just the bones. Own it!

But I do think its important to show kids science is more than chemistry, biology and physics!

Genuinely, isn't what you're teaching a combination of all three as opposed to something else?

I think the importance of your visit is to simply show what interesting fields people can get into. Remember their age. Take this for what is is: nothing more than 'I worked hard at school and have an interesting job. This is what I do. Aren't I cool'.

Funnily enough, I did something a little like what you're about to. Within a year I was back at Uni (where I was working previously) to become a qualified teacher. That was decades ago. Still a teacher!

glitterazi · 02/02/2017 11:31

Sounds like something my 9 year old would love, I wouldn't have any problem with that!

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