From the Tempest to The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, the sea has inspired some of our most enduring and much loved stories. Stories from the Sea inspires the young writers of tomorrow by immersing them in the salty world of fearsome pirates, intrepid explorers, sailors, ships and shipwrecks through world-class museum collections, intriguing stories and unforgettable characters.
Stories from the Sea is a Museums and Schools partnership (funded by Arts Council England) between The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and Norfolk Museums service. Together they deliver innovative, curriculum-linked programmes and resources to develop children’s skills and confidence in writing and storytelling through the museums’ collections and themes.
After establishing and leading the project for the National Maritime Museum during my time there as Head of Formal Learning, I worked with the team to research and produce teachers’ resources for the project (including activities by Jo Graham). These feature a range of gems from their combined collections to inspire even the most reluctant writers, from Yinka Shonibare’s majestic Ship in a Bottle, to daring sea rescues from early lifeboat teams, fearsome pirates Anne Bonney, Mary Read and Blackbeard (complete with lighted fuses in his hair and beard!) and a pocket watch from Titanic passenger Robert Norman which stopped at 3.07am – the moment he entered the dark, icy water of the North Atlantic…
Anna Husband 