Hands on learning for students visiting museum

A visit by secondary school students to The Woolshed Museum in Masterton could be the first of many to come, says retired teacher and museum volunteer Ian Trass.

Mr Trass, former longtime head of agriculture and horticulture at Wairarapa College, said a group of 22 Year 9 students from the school had visited last Friday, being the first secondary school group to visit the Dixon St museum.

The students comprised a social studies class and the visit, with teacher Nicola Herrick, had aimed to introduce the group to the wealth of Wairarapa agricultural history gathered within the museum walls, he said.

The students had focused on several facets of early Wairarapa farming history and the changes in technology, transport and housing that sheep farming had wrought in the region.

The group had taken part in a demonstration of blade shearing and shearing using a pair of hand-cranked clippers. There were wool spinners and weavers on hand to demonstrate their craft.

"This is not just a sort of 'woolly' place to come because there is an enormous amount of history stored here."

Mr Trass said other social and historical subjects touched upon in the museum archives and displays included land clearance, sheep management, yard and shed management, wool handling and processing, textiles and design and service industries.

The woolshed had over the years hosted numerous visits by pre-schoolers, primary and intermediate school age pupils "but rarely, if ever, by secondary school pupils," he said.

Another Wairarapa College group is expected to visit the museum next week and Mr Trass other colleges would take advantage of the opportunity to visit.

"There could be other classes to come from Wairarapa College as well, and I would encourage other colleges in the region to come along as well - at least the teachers could come and check us out and decide from there."