If there's one thing that can be relied on at all times, it's that primary school-aged children of all languages and nations are fascinated by dinosaurs. So it was an exciting affair when, at the end of September, around 70 pupils from the European School Munich set off by bus to the Rosenheim Lokschuppen to see the exhibition " Giants of the Ancient Seas". The entire international section of SWALS (Students without a language section) took part in the excursion. It was the start of this year's SWALS project on the topic of water in culture and history.
After arrival, three groups were formed. While one group was shown the exhibition with a guided tour, the others were active in workshops. There was a lot to marvel at: the Primary School pupils were greeted by a huge model of a Spinosaurus from the Cretaceous period, which was up to 18 metres long and weighed up to 9 tonnes. Quite a monster with sharp claws and teeth and a spiky crest on its back. But there were also more peaceful prehistoric reptiles to see, such as Archelon, a type of sea turtle that grew up to four metres long and fed on plants.
In addition to the impressive models, the exhibition also featured many real fossils, originals on loan from various European museums. The exhibits were explained in various sections on the geological eras Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The ammonites, for example, also appealed to the pupils. Their snail-like fossils can be found relatively easily by collectors in the right areas, as they were very common.
After the guided tour, the pupils were able to further explore the aquatic dinosaurs in workshops. As a homemade souvenir, they printed gym bags with dinosaur motifs. Afterwards, there was a small picnic in the playground, where the Primary School pupils also shared their impressions with each other. So all the SWALS children from P1 to P5 were able to gather many impressions on this day, come into contact with each other and learn many interesting things about prehistoric times. And even before the return journey it was clear: everyone was really enthusiastic about this trip to "Jurassic Park".
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