Schools

The Museum of English Rural Life offers an imaginative, experiential programme that brings excitement and interest to a museum visit. We believe that a museum visit should be cross-curricula and 'not just history'. Our collections and garden allow us to offer a school programme that explores objects and collections covering National Curriculum science, maths, art and literacy, as well as history.

We offer a free schools programme comprising:

• Education Officer/Artist led sessions, Teacher led visits, a programme of seasonal and special events.
• Programmes at Key Stage 1 – 3 exploring National Curriculum art, science, history, literacy and, coming soon MERL garden activities including citizenship issues relating to recycling and sustainability, as well as healthy eating and life processes and living things.
• Resources and trails to support your visit – Children can follow the museum 'rat trail', or use our worksheets on life in a Victorian village, or life in Victorian times.

Planning your visit:

• Sessions for schools
• Information for schools

For further details or to discuss your requiremnents, please contact Julia Shelley, our Acting Learning Manager

Sessions for schools

All sessions are free of charge and last approximately 2 hours.

The children's war: evacuees in the countryside, 1939-45

Following the enormous popularity of the session developed to run in conjunction with 'The children's war' exhibition in Autumn '09, we are currently looking at ways of making it possible to offer similar sessions in the future.

• KS2, years 5-6 & KS3, year 9
• History
• 2 hours 
• In the Autumn '09 session, which was based on the the exhibition at MERL about evacuees in the countryside, and the extensive evacuee archives held at MERL, children visited the exhibition and learnt about the effect that living in the countryside had on the evacuees. They learnt about life as an evacuee through video and interviews recorded for the exhibition. Many also had the chance to meet and interview people who were evacuated at this time.

 

Key Stage 1

Where does food come from? – Reception/Year 1

• Science/Art & Design
• Farmyard puppets introduce this fun session for little ones as we discuss healthy diets, the food we eat and where it comes from. We then make colourful cards using printing blocks from the museum's collection and then move on to make brass rubbings of the farming cycle – our large engraved steel ring which tells the story of the seasons.

The 3 Little Pigs - Year 1 - 2

• Science/Literacy
• Follow the story of the 3 Little Pigs in this combined Science/Literacy session. Pupils explore the different materials as they are introduced in the narrative and then handle real museum artefacts, as we explore further different materials and their properties.

Key Stage 2

Where does food come from? – Years 3 - 6

• Science/Design & Technology/History
• In this session, we explore healthy diets, what makes up a healthy diet and where food comes from. Pupils handle dairy artefacts and take part in a butter making session, which can be followed by a tasting if requested (the museum will provide supermarket-bought wholemeal bread for the class to try a piece of bread & butter, using their butter). After this, we make brass rubbings of the farming cycle – the museum's large engraved steel ring which tells the story of the seasons and farming in the past.

Fabulous Felt (with textile artist Ellen Brown) – Years 3 - 6

• Science/Art & Design
• We go from fleece to fibre in this interactive session, finding out where wool comes from, examining different types of fleece and how to make material. Pupils then make their own felt wall hanging to take home.

The Palmer House – Years 5 - 6

• History
• In this session, we explore the Victorian built environment of the museum buildings or 'The Palmer House'. The house was designed and built for Sir Alfred Palmer, of Huntley & Palmers, by the celebrated Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse.
• Children become history detectives as we explore the buildings looking for clues about who built, owned and lived in the house.

Information for schools

Facilities

The Education Studio and Cloakroom can be reserved for you to eat lunch and store bags. As part of our commitment to a healthy diet, we are happy to provide jugs of water and cups for the children at either snack or lunchtime.

Accessibility

We are committed to supporting visits for children with special educational needs. Please discuss your requirements when you make your booking.

Accompanying adults

The Museum of English Rural Life operates the following minimum ratios:

• Key Stage 1 1 adult: 5 pupils
• Key Stage 2 1 adult: 10 pupils
• Key Stage 3 1 adult: 10 pupils

Risk Assessments & First Aid

The museum and the schools programme have been fully risk assessed. We do ask that all teachers complete their own risk assessment prior to a school visit to the Museum.

Two members of staff are qualified First Aiders and there is a First Aid box available at Museum Reception. We ask that teachers bring a First Aid box with them on their visit, just in case!