Recovery Curriculum Resources from Leeds Museum and Galleries

These resources are designed to support a recovery curriculum and can be used in any education setting. They complement the ‘Supporting the Return to School for All Pupils’ guidance in Leeds and the PACE approach of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy.

Playful

• Copy the movements of monkeys and other apes. Watch nature documentaries or look at photographs to discover their behaviour.

Taxidermy Grey Langurs

Acceptance

Expressive Communication and Self Esteem

• Discover the traits of apes. Are we similar to them? Look at how they interact with each other, and how they look after each other. Do they have different roles and personalities?
• Did you know that humans share about 99% of their DNA with chimpanzees? Think about how apes care for each other, and compare this to how humans help each other.

Taxidermy Three-Striped Night Monkey

Curiosity

• How have storytellers and artists used monkeys as inspiration?
• Share stories about monkey characters, make masks, create performances with puppets. See life through the eyes of an ape!

Indian Hindu Hanuman Mask

Empathy

• Find out about the different places that monkeys live, in the wild and in captivity. How do you think it feels?
• Research primates that are endangered – what are the threats?
• Learn about how monkeys are important in different cultures. For example:
  - The Hindu god Hanuman
  - The monkey king in Chinese opera
  - Monkey masks created by the Baule people of Ivory Coast, West Africa

Chinese Monkey King Puppet

Chinese Opera Monkey Mask

There are taxidermy apes on display in the Life on Earth gallery at Leeds City Museum. Colourful puppets, kites and other artefacts are on display in the Voices of Asia gallery.