Learning about heritage

Today's children are tomorrow's guardians. OIMAP's educational resources give teachers, museums and families the means to introduce heritage and its protection in a concrete, playful way suited to each age.
They include teaching kits for three age groups, games, travelling exhibitions, videos, workshops and teacher training. All content is free and under a free licence.
This page describes the catalogue, the audiences and how to use them.
Educational resources in figures
Source: OIMAP Heritage Protection Department.
A catalogue for every age
For ages 6-10, stories, colouring and treasure hunts around heritage objects. For ages 11-15, investigations to solve, such as finding the origin of an object, and workshops on provenance. For ages 16-19, case studies, debates on ownership of heritage and research projects.
Each kit includes a teacher's guide, activity sheets, visual materials and an evaluation. The content is aligned with the school curricula of many States and adaptable to local contexts.



In museums and in the field
Museums use themed trails, such as "Heritage Detectives", which invite visitors to examine objects, spot clues and understand the experts' work. Travelling exhibitions on the theme of trafficking tour some thirty cities each year.
At archaeological sites, workshops let children experience a simulated excavation, draw objects and understand why context is precious. These activities are designed with archaeologists and local communities.
Training teachers
Each year OIMAP organises training sessions for teachers, in person and online. They present the issues, the tools, how to run a sequence and how to answer pupils' questions. More than 2,800 teachers have been trained.
A network of teacher ambassadors exchanges practices and proposes improvements. Their feedback has made it possible to adapt the resources to large classes, pupils with difficulties and isolated schools.
Digital resources
An online platform brings together the digital content: short videos, interactive games, virtual visits to sites and museums, quizzes. It also offers a sharing space where teachers publish their adaptations.
The resources work offline for schools with limited Internet access. They are designed to be light and usable on simple devices.
Resources by age
| Age | Resource | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| 6-10 years | Stories, colouring, games | Discover heritage |
| 11-15 years | Investigations, workshops | Understand provenance |
| 16-19 years | Case studies, debates | Reflect on protection |
| Adults | Guided visits, workshops | Get involved |
Landmarks
- First kit
For ages 11-15.
- Travelling exhibitions
Launch.
- Digital content
Online version.
- 120,000 pupils
Record.
Free content



Ready-made or to-be-adapted resource

Ready-made
Complete kit- Usable immediately
- Quick to set up
- Little room for customisation
To start with.

To adapt
Basic elements- Local customisation
- More work
- Better grounding
To go further.
Using a resource
- Choose
Select according to age.
- Prepare
Read the teacher's guide.
- Host
Run the session.
- Assess
Measure what has been learned.
- Share
Feed back your experience.
To succeed in a sequence
A curator

« Pupils arrive in class with an object from home and leave understanding that it has a history. It is the beginning of a way of seeing. »
Educational vocabulary
- Teaching kit
- Set of resources for teaching.
- Simulated excavation
- Workshop reproducing an excavation.
- Open licence
- Licence permitting reuse.
- Sequence
- Organised series of sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Are the resources free?
Yes.
Can they be translated?
Yes, with mention of the source.
Where can I download them?
In the useful documents on this page.
How do I train a teacher?
See Training.
Useful documents
Contacts

See Heritage Day
Image credits (16)
- Woman Sitting Reading , Georges Lemmen (1905) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Châteauvieux-sur-Suran, Antoine-Claude Ponthus-Cinier (1848) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- High Class Students and Teachers at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla (verso), Raja Deen Dayal (c. 1882–87) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Side Drawer for Cabinet, André-Charles Boulle (c. 1690) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- St. Anthony Reading, Albrecht Dürer (1519) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Temple of Athene Nike. Venus Victrix—Wingless Victory, Dimitrios Constantin (c. 1850s–60s) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- A Lady Reading, Francis Seymour Haden (1833–1910) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Twilight in the Wilderness, Frederic Edwin Church (1860) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Bookplate: Boylston Medical Library, George Girdler Smith (1806–39) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- View of the Gulf of Pozzuoli from Solfatara, Philipp Hackert (1803) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Leaf from a Lectionary with St. Luke (1057–1063) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Eighteen Views of Rome: The Piazza Farnese (recto), Lievin Cruyl (1664) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Temple at Naveshera, Kashmir, India, Samuel Bourne (1864) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Landscape with Castle and Shepherds, Achille Etna Michallon (1814) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Boy with Anchor, Winslow Homer (1873) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Bowl with Chrysanthemums, Seifū Yohei IV (1914–46) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0
Awareness-raisingChanging perceptions: campaigns, educational resources and Heritage Day so that everyone understands what trafficking destroys.›
Awareness campaignsOIMAP's major campaigns: themes, materials, audiences, results and evaluation method.›
Heritage DayAn annual event around 18 April: events in forty States, themes, how to take part and organise an event.›