Bedfordshire schools given chance to meet a T-Rex
An educational experiences company is celebrating its first anniversary in business in the same way that it began its journey – by giving back to the community it serves and launching a competition for local schools.
Giant Journeys, which provides immersive workshops for children, has worked with more than 18,000 pupils nationwide during its inaugural year of trading.
Founder Darren Smith, who has a passion for creative education and wants to transform how youngsters engage with learning, began his business by opening a public vote on social media in which Bedfordshire primary schools were able put themselves forward to meet Reggie – a five-metre-long animatronic T-Rex – in a special informative session on dinosaurs.
Lark Rise Academy and Scott Primary School in Bedfordshire were two of the first schools to meet Reggie.
Anita Barker, Headteacher at Scott Primary, said: “Our children absolutely loved the visit from Reggie the Dino and his friends. They were completely enthralled seeing the dinosaurs come to life right before their eyes. It was an exciting, educational, and truly enriching experience they still talk about to this day.”
A spokesperson for Lark Rise Academy said: “How exciting that we won a competition to have a special visit from Reggie and his sister Trixie!
“The excitement from allthe children and staff was incredible! Giant Journeys immersed us into the world of dinosaurs and fossils; where questions were asked and answered and awe and wonder shone through – a truly amazing, captivating visit!”
Now, to mark its first big milestone, Giant Journeys is running a similar contest, in which schools in the two counties can enter the contest to meet Trixie the baby T-Rex as well as her much bigger brother, Reggie.
The dinosaur workshop is one of 13 immersive experiences that Giant Journeys is able to offer. Four of the unique sessions are based around artificial intelligence in which the children have to solve a quest by visiting digital environments and speaking to avatar, including a WW1 soldier, a Stone Age child, an Egyptian slave and a Roman Gladiator.
This year the company plans to launch two new journeys for schools to enjoy.
Darren said: “The last year has been a whirlwind of learning for both the children in our workshops and for me as an entrepreneur and founder of the company. I am incredibly proud of all that we have achieved in our first year and the opportunities that we offer to inspire and educate young minds by bringing history, science, and more to life using cutting-edge technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
“Our journeys are exactly that, an exploration into a different world, and we believe that these experiences are completely unique to Giant Journeys.
“Following a fantastic response to our last competitions, in which we had more than 7,000 entries in Bedfordshire, we are thrilled to celebrate our birthday with another competition in which we can share our success with the community.
“There’s plenty of time for local primary schools to put themselves forward and be in with a chance of winning a meet and greet with Reggie and Trixie!”
Anyone can vote in the contest until it closes on Saturday 28th March. Winners will be announced shortly afterwards.
To place your vote visit https://www.tinyurl.com/reggiebeds
For further information about Giant Journeys visit www.giantjourneys.co.uk