Seaside Holidays activity 15: design a Folkestone seaside souvenir

Learning objectives

Knowledge and understanding of the history of the seaside and seaside souvenirs, and what makes Folkestone distinctive.

Curriculum links

KS1-2 History (Local Area Study, seaside holidays).

KS1-4 Art and Design (create a design for a seaside souvenir)

KS1-4 Design Technology (design and make a seaside souvenir)

Use Learn with Objects Seaside holidays 17: souvenir as a starting point to explore the history of seaside souvenirs. Think about the following questions:

• What is a souvenir?
• What does the word souvenir mean?
• Why did visitors buy them?
• What kind of souvenirs did visitors buy in Victorian Folkestone?
• Which is the most unusual?
• How many different 20^th century souvenirs can you discover from Folkestone?
• Which decades do they date from? What souvenirs can you buy in the town today? 

Do some internet research to discover answers to some of the above questions.

Design a seaside souvenir for Folkestone Museum shop

Ask children to design a seaside souvenir that they think best captures Folkestone. The client is the Folkestone Museum shop, and it must be inspired by an object or story from any section of the Learn with Objects website.

Think about the audience your souvenir is designed for. Is it for younger or older children or adults? Or is it a tactile or sensory object for people with disabilities or special educational needs?

Make it fun and imaginative. It could be inspired by fossils, dinosaurs, dog pawprints in Romans tiles, Anglo-Saxon jewellery designs or the Victorian seaside. A bathing machine money box perhaps? Or a roller coaster ruler with just one straight edge, and the other shaped like the Switchback Railway!

Think about which materials you would use for your design, and experiment with some prototypes.

You never know, if the museum really likes your design, they might sign you up as a supplier!