Edutainment in the heart of Europe A Teacher s guide. The European Parliament's Visitors' Centre.

Transcription

1 EN English The European Parliament's Visitors' Centre Edutainment in the heart of Europe A Teacher s guide Admission is free

2 THE PARLAMENTARIUM, A FREE TRIP TO THE HEART OF THE EU The European Union (EU) can seem remote, hard to understand and even harder to explain. Not at the Parlamentarium. Bring your students to the heart of Europe. Let them explore the history of the EU through interactive exhibitions and then really get to grips with how it works by playing our educational games. The games are for children aged 6 to 18, last between one and a half and two and a half hours and cover all 24 languages of the EU. What s more, it s all for free. Younger children help an alien called Luna learn about the EU. Teenagers take part in a talent show to compose The Sound of Europe. Secondary school pupils test their negotiating skills by stepping into the role of an MEP and drafting EU law. Children work in small groups and everyone who takes part gets a prize. The visit also includes a tour of the Parlamentarium s permanent exhibition. Pupils can trace the history of the EU and see how it has grown, meet the Founding Fathers and then listen to the views of today s representatives. A 15-minute 360-degree film gives them the chance to see how the European Parliament really works.

3 LUNA GAME 6-10 Meet Luna, our friendly alien who knows nothing about the EU. Our youngest visitors have to find the answers to Luna s questions in the exhibition. Groups of 2-4 children. Duration: 1.5 hours. Personal Media Guide is used to make it fun and interactive. Available in all 24 EU languages. All players get a prize.

4 INTERGALACTIC TALENT SHOW Enter your older students into our Intergalactic Talent Show. Unlock secret words by finding answers to questions in the exhibition and then compose the lyrics to The Sound of Europe. Groups of 2-4 children. Duration: 1.5 hours. Available in all 24 EU languages. All players get a prize.

5 ROLE PLAY GAME 15 + Your pupils get to experience life as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). It s their turn to run the EU. This means doing everything from studying and debating new laws to voting and then presenting the legislation to the press. Students test their analytical skills, hone their negotiating skills and learn to compromise. They see for themselves how European law is made and who the key players are. Participants are split into different political groups and then into committees. Each committee is given a different proposal to study. Students use cutting-edge technology to make amendments to the proposed law and finalise the legislation. A debriefing tool is available so that teachers can continue work on this in the classroom. Duration: 2.5 hours plus additional time for security clearance (not including the visit of the permanent exhibition with the 360-degree movie). Groups of participants. Prior reservation required: rpg@ep.europa.eu Two time slots per day (10:00 and 14:00). Slots are available on Saturday and Sunday upon request. Arrive 15 minutes before the allocated slot. Leave time to watch the 360-degree film or visit the Parliament s chamber (upon request).

6 OPENING HOURS Monday... 13:00-18:00 Tuesday Friday... 09:00-18:00 Saturday Sunday... 10:00-18:00 Last admission is 30 minutes before closing time. The Parlamentarium is closed on: 1 January, 1 May, 1 November and 24, 25, 31 December. ADMISSION IS FREE TRAVEL Groups can be dropped off outside the Parlamentarium. Nearest train station: Bruxelles-Luxembourg (200 m). Groups of 15 and above get a 70% reduction on train travel in Belgium. SHOP & CAFETERIA Our cafeteria offers a group special upon reservation. Willy Brandt building Esplanade Solidarność Rue Wiertz 60 / Wiertzstraat 60 B-1047 Brussels parlamentarium@ep.europa.eu Downloadable teaching material is available on the websites of the EP Info Offices information_offices.html This publication was produced by the European Parliament s Directorate-General for Communication.