Teachers' comments about the Fossils and Bones workshop:

'Thank you very much for today. The children absolutely loved it! Will be sure to book again for next year.'

Joanne Kerr, Y4 Teacher, Park Road Primary School, Sale

'Thank you once again for the workshop you offered for us. The children really enjoyed themselves and got a lot out of it.'

Kelly Wike, Greenfield St. Mary's Primary, Oldham

'I just wanted to thank you for the Time Trips fossil workshop. The two days were carefully planned and differentiated for our year 3 and 4 pupils. I really believed that the challenge of the skulls and dinosaur would be overwhelming but you managed to get the best out of them in a calm and relaxed manner.

Some of the year 4 children have told the class that they plan to start their own fossil workshop in Manchester City Centre when they are older. That says it all.... inspiration is the word!'
 
Mrs Pollock, Y4 teacher, The Firs Primary School, Sale

'Tony came into our school for 2 days to work with both our year 3 classes. The activities he planned throughout the day were accessible to all the children and very engaging. Not only did the children learn loads from the day but also the adults did too! Tony was very well prepared and came to the school with the majority of resources himself. The children thoroughly enjoyed all of his activities, especially the quizzes in teams throughout the day! The afternoon's activities have left us with some amazing work to display across the school for all the children to view. We would recommend Tony's workshops to any classes from year 3 onwards. Even if your current topic isn't linked to dinosaurs it is still a great workshop to provide to the children!'

Clara Fletcher, Y3 teacher, Harpur Mount Primary School, Harpurhey

'Thank you again for the wonderful workshop on Fossils and Bones for Year 4. You have given them a life long memory and have certainly brought their topic of 'Dinosaurs' to life. Our lifesize T-Rex in the hall has sent ripples of excitement all around the school - children in the early years making junk model dinosaurs, children doing independent research at home and children and staff adding to the display with a wounded Triceratops in their lunchtimes!  The workshop was an excellent balance of hands on learning experiences, team work and learning of new facts. In the words of the children... "It was the best day ever!"'

Jo Briggs, Head teacher, All Saints CE Primary, Farnworth, Bolton

'I can highly recommend this workshop! What a brilliant time our girls had learning about Bones and Fossils! Tony brought an ideal mix of high scientific knowledge and challenging fun to the proceedings, all presented in a calm, precise manner. The girls loved the team games where they had to use their mathematical and deductive skills. Fossil painting was really popular and the results make a stunning display. The highlight of the day has to be the life sized Triceratops.


 
All the Prep classes have come to look at it and it has even drawn visitors from the Senior School! We shall be drawing on the information learned for the next fortnight! We are looking forward to a repeat performance next year.'
 
Kate Robinson, Y4 teacher at Manchester High School for Girls, Fallowfield

Hi Tony
The children really enjoyed the session - particularly the quiz - I was surprised by how motivated they were!!!
The painting session went well and it was great that the fast finishers had  some other fossils to move on to whilst they waited for those who took more  care and had better concentration.

Helen Wellock, Y1 teacher at Culcheth Community Primary School, near Warrington
 

'The children at our school were amazed to arrive one morning in the last week of term to see a life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex prowling across the back of our school hall. This beast had been put together the previous afternoon by children in Year 4/5 as part of a workshop delivered by a regular visitor to our school, Tony North. In the past Tony has delivered engaging and hugely popular curriculum workshops on historical topics but none of us were quite ready for his latest idea. 

Following a useful classroom presentation on the skeleton, Tony took the children into the hall where they worked for the rest of the afternoon as paleontologists slowly uncovering the remains of an enormous prehistoric dinosaur. In small groups, differentiated according to the ages and abilities of the children in the class, they drew from stencils, cut out and assembled a myriad of paper bones which were then arranged to form the dinosaur skeleton. I was impressed with the level of engagement the children showed on a complex and demanding task over a lengthy period. They also worked cooperatively, both within the small groups working on different parts of the dinosaur and as a class piecing the parts of the whole together.

And at the end of the day Tony showed great persistence in hanging the completed T-rex so that the children who had worked on it, and the wider school, could be awed by the sight of this giant when they arrived at school the following day. A monster of a workshop.'

Shaun Stirling, Y4/5 Teacher at Norris Bank Primary, Stockport