Children practically involved

Staff exchange between the Bjäre project, Sweden and the Albersdorf project, Germany from 5.5 2003 until 8.5 2003

Since the staff exchange in spring 2002 when Gunilla Kaiser from the Albersdorf project came to visit us in the Bjäre project, we had been talking about making another staff exchange where we from the Bjäre peninsula would like to visit their project. It looked like ours in many ways but seemed to be so much more. Even if the Albersdorf project was mainly dealing with a different archaeological period (the Stone Age), we felt that we had a lot in common, especially the part of getting children practically involved. It took two more EPCL meetings and lots of discussions with Mr Rüdiger Kelm, the project leader of the Albersdorf project, before we finally in the meeting in Halmstad could set a date for Gunilla Roos and Marianne Orsander from the Bjäre project to go to Albersdorf and learn about their way of working.

A beautiful Monday morning in May we packed the car and started the journey from Båstad towards Germany and the town Friedrichstadt, where Rüdiger had arranged for us to rent a small apartment. The spring had of course come to Båstad but as we travelled along we noticed the landscape getting greener and greener the further south we came. It was a wonderful drive, passing through beautiful landscapes with the sun constantly shining. In our early plans we had been talking about making a stop in Odense to meet with our Danish partners, but as we were planning the trip we figured out that we were more eager to get to Friedrichstadt in time so we really could use all of our time to learn about the Albersdorf project.

In the late afternoon we arrived to Friedrichstadt, a small, picturesque town with an atmosphere of old times. There we met with Christiane, Rüdiger Kelms wife whom showed us to our accommodation. After some unpacking and a short rest we went home to Rüdigers house for dinner and to plan the following days.

Tuesday and Wednesday were days totally set for learning about the Albersdorf project while Thursday was the day when we should return to Sweden. The time was indeed limited but the planning made by Rüdiger was perfect with a full schedule from early morning until late evening.

Tuesday morning after a good nights sleep we drove to the nearby town Albersdorf and the AÖZA (Archäologisch Ökologisches Zentrum Albersdorf). We had a short visit at the reconstructed Stone Age village with Rüdiger Kelm as a terrific guide. This day a school with 75 children were going to have a "Stone Age programme" and we were about to follow them during the day. The children lived in the Youth hostile, where the project also has their storehouse for the educational programmes. We went there to meet them and the teachers and together we started the short walk to the Stone Age village. The children worked with flint making knives and other things. After that they also had the opportunity to make a leather purse with their own flint tools that they had made. Also they were making colour to paint with, shooting archery and like a real archaeologist they could try to excavate a small surface (of course pre prepared by the pedagogues of the project). We followed the different activities by taking photos and notes. It was very interesting and valuable to watch from the outside how both the students and teachers were working. That is something you very seldom get the opportunity to do. Everybody was very enthusiastic about this way of learning about ancient times.

After lunch Rüdiger took us to his office and we were greeted welcome by the mayor Mr Manfred Trube. He is of course a very important person in Albersdorf but also he means a lot for the project itself. Then Rüdiger took us for a guided tour in the surroundings of the reconstructed Stone Age village. He showed us several of the megalithic tombs in the area and of course a beautiful Bronze Age mound. He also told us about the ecological part of the project with livestock, pathways with special informative signs and a kind of questionnaire quiz that was very interesting. Now we had some time off to study the area for ourselves that we of course did. We had been recommended to visit an excavated dolmen with lots of cup marks just a few minutes away from Albersdorf so we went there. The top stone was totally covered by cup marks and even some interesting rock carvings. Since the Bjäre peninsula has lots of cup marks it almost felt like home when we stood there watching the stone.

Wednesday morning the sun was shining from a blue sky and we went off for studying the educational part that the Albersdorf project runs for teachers. First there was some theory about the Stone Age and after that there was a practical part. Here the teachers got to know a little about the technique of making flint implements and making paint. This seemed to be the most popular part and everybody was really excited when the mayor himself came to join the workshop. After lunch we went for an interesting walk in the cultural landscape and the reconstructed Stone Age village. We noticed several for us new educational ways to show different traces of human and natural activities in the landscape. Soon it was late afternoon and again we were invited to Rüdiger and his wife Christiane for another lovely dinner and interesting discussions.

Time flies away when you are happy and too soon it was time for us to leave Friedrichstadt and Germany and return to reality - our own project in the Bjäre peninsula.

It had been a really interesting and inspiring time in Albersdorf. To see how other similar projects are working, in this case our German friend is something everybody should have an opportunity to do. The whole Albersdorf project itself with archaeological and ecological "reconstructions" is something very special that we in the Bjäre project would like to work with more. We have learned a lot during our stay and gathered new inspiration and ideas how to go on. Everybody has been so nice and helpful and we have really felt that we were welcome to visit the project. We would like to say a special thanks to Rüdiger and Christiane that took care of us and showed us the different parts of the project and kept our stomach full with German specialities.

Gunilla Roos

Marianne Orsander

Impressions