‘Totnes Experiences’ for schools

The beauty of a visit to Totnes is that it offers so much within a short walking distance! The centre of the town is small and compact, so time is not ‘wasted’ walking from one interesting area to another.

There are a two options available to teachers who are planning school visits to Totnes with Travellers in Time.

Option 1: the whole day ‘Totnes Experience’

Make full use of the local knowledge of your costumed guide as you allow her to lead you through a range of activities to enhance and extend your curriculum studies. All bookings and fees are taken care of (except coaches) and an indoor venue is arranged for lunchtime. In addition, you are provided with a pack of information and ideas for follow up work.

What you can expect…

Typically, I meet you in the town, either at a previously arranged rendezvous point, such as the Market Square, or from the coach. The children are welcomed, given a brief introduction to the town, appropriate to their age and the theme of the visit, and then encouraged to participate in looking for, and interpreting, the evidence around them.

Buildings and periods are brought to life with stories about the people who lived in the town in the past and a sense of period is established through description and anecdotes. The emphasis is on engaging the children, and a question-and-answer approach, as well as group tasks, is employed to encourage full participation.

In addition, the children often have a simple sheet to use, either individually or with an adult in groups, as a focus for their observations and to use back in school as a reminder of what they have seen and learned about.

On a practical note, the ‘experiences’ are arranged to incorporate toilet breaks and an indoor venue is on hand if the weather proves to be inappropriate for a picnic!
Totnes Experiences usually commence at 10 am and finish at 2.30 pm.

Themes:

How much does it cost?

£180 per day for up to 30 children; with no charge for accompanying adults.
This includes entrance to historic buildings, where appropriate, and the provision of indoor facilities at lunch time should the weather be inclement.

NB. Discounts available…
Some teachers like to bring their classes to Totnes on two occasions, with a few weeks intervening, to undertake both the ‘Totnes through Time’ experience and the ‘Totnes Now’ experience ~ the two days do complement each other well and the children gain tremendously from the history and the geography approaches.
A discounted price can be arranged in this instance.

Option 2:  a guided walk

For those who wish to undertake some of their own activities but would like some input from a local expert, a guided walk, lasting between an hour and two hours, can be offered. This is also a good option for those schools bringing two classes on the same day ~ one class can enjoy a guided walk in the morning, and the other class can do the same in the afternoon.