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Compass is offline while we prepare our new tools

Compass is offline while we prepare our new tools

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Discover what this means

Everyone’s a critic

Lay out your collections and take a tour. Leave comments to praise and improve each other's work.

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Coloured pens or pencils
  • Collections

Constructing the critique

  1. The week before the meeting, ask the group to bring in a collection they are making at the moment, or some objects they would like to make into a collection. Consider running the activity The cardboard cube prior to this. 
  2. Give the collectors 10 minutes to lay out their collections and think about their objects:
    • Do they tell a story?
    • Should they be in order?
    • How can they be grouped?
    • Do they need to be labelled?
  1. Next to each collection, leave two sheets of paper marked ‘win’ and ‘improve’.

Revolving reviews

  1. Split into pairs. If you there’s an odd number of participants, you could introduce a leader’s collection, or create a group of three.
  2. In pairs, rotate the collections, spending two minutes looking at each collection and thinking about:
    • What do you like about the way it has been laid out?
    • What objects stand out or represent the theme of the collection?
    • How could the layout be changed to make it better?
  1. Make a note of your thoughts on the pieces of paper at each base and move onto the next one. For ‘win’, comment on things about the collection that you found interesting or liked. For ‘improve’, comment on things that you maybe didn’t understand or that you think would make the display better.
  2. By the time you have done a full rotation of the room, you should have lots of comments on your own collection, and have left lots of feedback on the other collections.

Reflection

This activity required the groups’ collections to speak for themselves, without you – the curators – there to explain them. Did the collections make sense? How did the feedback make you feel?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Task the group to arrange collections they are unfamiliar with to see different results.

Some may be less confident in giving feedback, they may do better in small groups or with a list of 'ideal criteria'. Try comparing it to a museum or other collection they have visited.

 

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Cubs Collector Activity Badge