Last week, our preschoolers (Aged 3-4) at Hammersmith Nursery went on a trip to the RAF Museum in North London. This museum is filled with military aircrafts; mostly from the U.K. but some are from different corners of the globe. They walked around the museum and learnt a bit about the different types of planes and what their jobs were before they retired to the museum. Their favourite plane was the Lancaster Bomber, used during the Second World War. The children also have the privilege of going inside a real aircraft! They were able to explore the inside of an old military plane, looking at all the internal features of the plane such as the storage units and seating areas that are very different to the commercial planes we are used to!
They were also lucky enough to be able to take part in some flying simulations! These simulations included steering a plane through a mountainous range using a joystick and instructions through a headset. After a few tries, the children got the hang of it and became very good pilots! They thoroughly enjoyed the different types of simulations available as well as the “military operations” they were able to take part in; from refueling the engines to landing planes in different areas.
Dotted around the museum were wreaths and poppies. Naturally, the children were curious about this, so we took them to see a small exhibit dedicated to Remembrance Day. They learnt about what Remembrance Day is about and that poppies are one of the ways it is celebrated each year on the 11th of November. Of course, they will be learning more about this in the coming weeks, leading up to Remembrance Day, and helping raise money for The Poppy Appeal through the poppies and related goodies available in our nursery. They finished their trip to the museum with a quiet drawing session; drawing their favourite planes from the trip and each taking turns telling their friends about the plane they drew and why it was their favourite.
