During a school year so different from most, when field trips were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the activity “A Museum for All” allowed us to “travel” to Thessaloniki where we acquired new knowledge and made new friends.

The activity was carried out by the initiative of Mr. V. Economou, Director of Informatics and Digital Learning at Athens College, and the support of the Administrations of Athens College and Psychico College Elementary Schools, in collaboration with the Director of Protypa Schools of Thessaloniki (www.protypa.gr), Mr. G. Koryfidis.

Participants in this activity were students in section 4στ of Athens College, together with their teacher Mr. Ch. Lefteratos, and students in section 4στ of Psychico College, together with their teacher Mr. G. Doumenis, as well as a section of 4th graders from Protypa Schools of Thessaloniki and their teacher, Ms. Ch. Efthymiou.

Our children were given a virtual, guided tour of the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki during the activity, using the ZOOM app.   Before watching the digital tour by the museum guide, Ms. Z. Drepanidou  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5GMlhWRn_Y&feature=youtu.be), the students from the three sections became acquainted with one another and exchanged experiences.  During the tour, Ms. Drepanidou presented the most important exhibits of the Archaeological  Museum of Thessaloniki and answered all of the students questions, which had be posted earlier on a common space created for all three groups of children on the Padlet app (https://padlet.com/veconomou/pdf6o6am2fm35h5c).

The students were impressed with the exhibits. They were particularly taken by the baby bottles, the gold wreath, the strigils (ancient tool for cleansing the skin), and the skeleton of the woman whose hair and eyebrows were preserved due to atmospheric conditions.  It was an especially educational “journey” during which our students broadened their cognitive horizons, relating everything they viewed with what they had been taught in their history lessons.

We hope our children will one day have an opportunity to visit the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki in person to admire the exhibits from up close.