Sunday 7 June 2015

The Three Arrrrs, Reading, Riting and Ripping


Tools in wrong hands
"Hello fellow artefact collectors"  says "Statbloke" the metal detectorist from Kent ('School Assembly on metal detecting'): 
After recently uncovering a handful of Roman coins and other interesting finds at my son's school, they've asked me to do an assembly on metal detecting using PowerPoint. Am probably going to talk about some of the things I've found at the school and other local permissions. I wondered whether anyone has any other detecting-related slides which would be of interest to kids between year 3 and year 6 (aged 8-11) that I could pilfer from? [I] want to try and keep it as engaging and fun as possible for the kids whilst at time doing something to make them think about trying the hobby.
Do they not have a PAS in Kent, then, who does that sort of thing? Why does Statbloke not contact them to loan some ideas and digital images? Surely the stuff found on local authority land (the school grounds) should be available in a more permanent form than a fifteen minute show-and-tell for the kids of the taxpayer. And do we really want the metal detectorist to be giving eight to eleven year olds the idea that they can all go and dig up archaeological sites and take away anything that takes their fancy? Is that not a little irresponsible of him? It is bad enough when clueless adults do it and destroy archaeological evidence in the process. Should there not be more to archaeological outreach about artefact hunting than that?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Do they not have a PAS in Kent, then, who does that sort of thing?"

I hope not. PAS was set up purely to cope with metal detecting not to expand it or to encourage 8 year olds to lower their intellectual sights. Only in Britain would the kids be hearing from a metal detectorist instead of an archaeologist. PAS DOES have a role at that school - it needs to educate the teachers!

kyri said...

only in britain,metal detectors sold in toy shops such at TOYS R US and smiths and labeled treasure finding machines,with pictures of gold coins on them,what message is that sending out,hardly educational toys.
kyri.

Paul Barford said...

Well, I think the relationship between metal detecting and educated attitudes is well illustrated by the standard of prose of the blog of the Texan metal detectorist who sent his readers over here in sheep-like droves (admonishing them to try to avoid "laughing"). Self-centred half-brains the lot of them.

 
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