Item

Interpretation for children in New Zealand parks: a dissertation submitted as partial completion of the Diploma in Parks and Recreation (National Parks option) [Lincoln College]

Burns, Lynda
Date
1982
Type
Dissertation
Fields of Research
ANZSRC::050203 Environmental Education and Extension , ANZSRC::160402 Recreation, Leisure and Tourism Geography
Abstract
A man told me the story of his visit to a National Park Visitor Centre with his son. As they were inside looking at the displays, the boy called his father over. He wanted to know what type of animal a DON'T TOUCH was! Interpretation has become an exciting and challenging part of park management in the past few years. In some parks it is still in its infancy and others have established regular programmes which have been successful for a number of years. There has also been a recognition that some groups in society are not being catered for. These include Maoris even though their relationship to the land and its history is very important in many areas, disabled people, rural folk, ethnic groups, working class people and children. What is different about this last group is that the outreach that may be appropriate for the other groups is not necessary for children. They are already an audience, and a substantial proportion of the visitors. The aim of this dissertation is to provide the reader with both a theoretical and practical approach to the topic of children's interpretation. Part A is entitled The Theory. This discusses the reasons and justifications for interpreting for children and attempts to put this into perspective in terms of the overall education system. It also briefly documents the history of this form of interpretation in New Zealand. It assumes the reader has some knowledge and understanding of interpretation principles. There is also a small section on child development. Part B is entitled The Setting. Chapter 4 looks at Visitor Facilities. Do any cater for children at present? How can this be improved? Chapter 5 looks solely at programmes and their planning and evaluation. Part C is entitled The Action. It documents some activities for indoors and some ideas for running a living history programme. Outdoor activities are introduced here but the bulk of the practical ideas and resources can be found in the Appendices. This dissertation has been designed for people involved in both the planning for interpretative facilities and in planning and implementing programmes. The bias however, is more towards the latter. This is an indication of my personal experience, not the importance of one field over another. The term 'park' has been used in the general sense to mean all Lands and Survey administrated National Parks, Reserves and Farm Parks; New Zealand Forest Service (hereafter N.Z.F.S.) administered Forest Parks and State Forests; and the Regional Parks within the bounds of Auckland Regional Authority (hereafter A.R.A.).
Source DOI
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