Comments from visiting schools

“Many thanks, a super visit. I just wished we had longer!”

“I would bring a group again and have recommended it to friends and family.”

“It was a fantastic day and met our needs brilliantly.”

What aspect of the visit was most beneficial?

“All of it, getting around, partaking in the workshops, looking at the houses and talking to the guides.”

“The opportunity to speak to the people in the houses. I would definitely book a workshop next time if possible.”

Chidham Primary School

We recently loaned Chidham Primary School a small selection of the fascinating collection of shoes we have. Five shoes were lent to the reception and Yr.1 class by the Collections Team. The children studied the shoes and drew observational pictures and learnt about the difference from the ‘olden days’ shoes to our shoes nowadays. The children thought that they were very lucky to have such nice shoes and felt very sorry for the children that had to wear the old shoes!

Archaeology workshops

We now offer a KS2 Archaeology workshop! We created a bespoke workshop for 2 schools in the autumn term and are now able to offer to all visiting school groups. The workshop looks at artefacts from the Museums’ Hangleton collection and carried out hands-on activities that engages pupils and teaches them lots about archaeology.

Charges

We now have increased our admission and workshop prices. To see these prices please click here

Launch of new workshops

We are pleased to announce that we now offer four new and exciting medieval life workshops. Medieval Apothecary, Textiles, Farming and Food and Cooking are aimed at KS2 & 3 and offer a new, hands-on look at everyday medieval life. Students will find out about the Great Plague, dress up as a medieval person and make a medieval treat on an open fire and much, much, more!

Change of location

Our popular Apothecary workshop has moved from the House from Pendean (map ref. 17) to the Hall from Boarhunt (map ref. 18). This is as a result of working very closely with our Interpretation team to ensure that we are constantly offering schools the best experience possible.

Winter Workshops

We would like to remind you that in the winter months, we offer schools a choice of hands-on Winter Workshops that cover the main aspects of domestic and rural life, based in furnished houses of the Medieval, Tudor and Victorian periods. For example, students can enjoy playing Tudor games, learn about Tudor textiles by dressing up as a Tudor, explore the foods that Tudors and Victorians ate by cooking over open fires, experience a Victorian school day, roll their sleeves up and do some Victorian household chores and carry out some traditional farming jobs. Content and delivery is structured according to age, ability and learning aims.

These workshops enable children to immerse themselves in unique hands-on experiences that bring their learning alive.  More details can be found on this website r by calling the the Schools Services team who will be happy to talk to you.  Here are a few quotes from schools that have visited recently;

“The hands-on experience and practical tasks gave the students lasting memories to consolidate their learning”.

“It was a fantastic day and met our needs brilliantly!”

Coming soon…

We will soon be launching our new loans box scheme. The boxes will be available for half a term for a small fee and will range from Victorian household items to archaeological items to replica Tudor clothes to dress up in! Please keep an eye on our website for more news on our loans boxes.

Online resources

This website contains lots of free, downloadable resources. These can be used prior, during and after your visit and are suitable for a range of ages and abilities. Any feedback would be gratefully received.

Lunch time at the Museum

Our new Building Crafts Gallery is being a huge hit with visiting school groups. It provides an excellent base for groups with a brilliant display of crafts and tools on the walls. “We loved the new eating area”. 

Please mention when booking if you would like a lunch room. We also have 6 large picnic blankets that can be reserved for you. We encourage all groups to eat on the bank away from the lake. This way you can have a nice, duck free, lunch time!

Children's Voucher Scheme

We are pleased to say that our children’s voucher scheme has been very successful. Since September 2009 each child visiting the Museum with a school group has been presented with a voucher, which allows them to come in free of charge on their next visit to the Museum with their family.  

Come and Pay Us a Visit!

Around 20,000 school children visit the Museum each year, partaking in cross-curricular visits that involve hands-on, skills based learning. If you’d like to meet a member of the team on site to discuss your requirements, then why not take up our free pre-visit offer. Please call in advance on 01243 811459 to make an appointment, or for a general chat. Further details can also be found on this website. 

If your school faces financial constraints in planning a visit to the Museum, the Schools Services Department is sometimes able to provide some support. If this is a situation your school faces then please phone Laura Dyke, Schools Services Officer for further discussion on 01243 811028.

This summer we have been updating the website and ensuring that it is easy to navigate and you can easily find what you are looking for. Please let us know your thoughts and opinions on these changes. Also, is there anything you would like to see on this website that is not here already? Please do get in touch and let us know.
 

We have had a radical re-think of one of our workshops. From September, we will now offer ‘A Victorian Country walk’ instead of our traditional tour of animals and implements. As our target audience for the Victorian workshops is 4-6 year olds, we will use story telling as a medium for learning and go on a walk around the Museum, stopping at different points around the site and experiencing what a Victorian country child would have done on their walk to or from school. Our walk will very much depend on the seasons as to what is available for us to do. For example, we might stop at the Shepherds hut and have a little chat about the Shepherd and his sheep, we might pick berries or collect kindling for the fire, pat the horses or look at the different trees. We will be running this workshop from September onwards so do wave if you see us on our ‘Country Walks’. 
 

From September we will be running all Apothecary workshops in the Hall from Boarhunt (map ref. 18), not the House from Pendean (map ref. 17). Boarhunt will provide a historically correct building for these workshops and this will allow for more space in Pendean for all normal visitors. It is a win-win situation!
 

As we all know summer is on its way and in preparation for all the picnics by the lake, the Schools Service Department now has 6 picnic blankets for school groups to use.  They can be used anywhere outside at the Museum so you can escape from the naughty ducks!
 

We hope to see you at the Museum in 2011. 

You are invited to explore the Museum for free!

Teachers' Preview Day, Saturday 26th February 2011, 10.30am – 4pm

Join us for a free visit and see what the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum can offer your school. This Teachers' Preview Event will be the ideal time to discover more about our Schools Services and the unique learning environment we have at the Museum, which is at the heart of the South Downs National Park. There will be a chance to meet our Schools Services staff who will be happy to discuss the particular needs of your school. 

We will have various workshop materials on display including our Building Blocks Workshop which has been specifically designed for KS 1 children. These workshops are just one example of how your students can be engaged in cross-curricular hands-on learning at our Museum. Remember — it’s not just history — our subject material covers Science, Art & Design, Maths and English, and workshops can be tailored to meet the needs of your groups. 

Free entry to the Preview Day also applies for two additional family members/friends for each teacher that visits. Tea, coffee and cake will be provided in the Museum’s new education room where the Schools Services Team will be on hand to answer any questions you may have. It is important that you phone/email by Friday 18th February to let us know if you would like to come, we will then provide you with further information about the day. We look forward to seeing you!

New education room now open!

We are now using our new Building Crafts Gallery which has replaced our 'white tent' as a base room for school visits. The building is warm, light and spacious, with seating and tables for large numbers of children and we are delighted to have this useful new space to offer our school groups.

New developments for 2011

Over the last twelve months, some of our schools’ workshops have been modified and improved – for example our Victorian Chores and Tudor Farming workshops – in order to maximize the interest value for pupils and to improve efficiency in delivering them. We also aim to introduce a couple of new workshops during the coming year, please do keep an eye on our website for all the latest details.

Need more information?

Over 20,000 school children visit the Museum each year, partaking in cross-curricular visits that involve hands-on, skills-based learning. If you require any further information please call to make an appointment to visit, or for a general chat.  

Come and pay us a visit!

Over 20,000 school children visit the Museum each year, partaking in cross-curricular visits that involve hands-on, skills based learning. If you'd like to meet a member of the team on site to discuss your requirements, then why not take up our free pre-visit offer. Please call in advance on 01243 811459 to make an appointment, or for a general chat.

If your school faces financial constraints in planning a visit to the Museum, the Schools Services Department is sometimes able to provide some support. If this is a situation your school faces then please phone Diana Rowsell, Head of Learning, for a further discussion on 01243 811464. 

Laura Dyke, Schools Services Officer, 01243 811459 / schoolbookings@wealddown.co.uk

News Releases that are more than one year old are kept in the News Archive