Priest's House Museum and Garden Wimborne Dorset : Learning & Outreach : Schools Sessions

Learning & Outreach:

Early Years

Schools

Young People

The Forge and Volunteering

Lifelong Learning

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Learning & Outreach - Schools - Sessions

We provide active hands-on sessions which support subjects across the National and International Curriculum, and topics to suit a creative curriculum.

Sessions can be adapted to suit all Key Stages. All the themes and topics link to the building and collections. If you have a theme or topic you would like us to support, please contact Anne Brown, Learning & Community Outreach Officer, on 01202 882533 or email us at priestshouse@eastdorset.gov.uk.

Groups will rotate around three or four different activities which last approximately 20-30 minutes each. Most of the sessions will be led by our learning assistants who all have enhanced CRB checks. Some trail and craft activities will be self-directed, but full instructions and materials will be provided. There are facilities for schools who would like to stay for lunch.

The Learning Service has been awarded the Heritage Education Trust's Sandford Award for Excellence in Heritage Education four times, which recognises the high standards and quality provided in our school sessions.

Life in Victorian Britain

Find out what life was like for a child in Victorian times. What sort of jobs would they have to do? Were shops different to the ones we have today? What was it like to be a school child? What did they cook and eat? Were their toys and games the same as ours today?

Hands-on activities in the Victorian kitchen, ironmonger's shop, Victorian schoolroom and childhood gallery.

A Victorian Christmas

Children can enjoy the festive decorations at the museum, make Christmas biscuits in the Victorian kitchen and take part in Victorian Christmas-themed games and art and craft activities.

Toys Old & New

Discover the stories of some of the old toys at the museum. Hold them in your hands and imagine what they would have been like when they were new. This session also includes activities in the childhood gallery. A museum trail, games or art and craft activities can also be chosen.

World War Two: The Home Front

Find out what life was like for a child during World War Two. What was it like to be an evacuee? What did they cook and eat when everything was rationed? What was it like to be a school child? What was gas mask drill?

Hands-on object handling and activities in the wartime kitchen and schoolroom. Find out what life was really like for children during the war with our learning assistants who were 'real life' World War Two children!

The Romans

Discover what the Romans really did for us. What did they eat? What can we tell about the Romans from what they left behind? How do you wear a toga?

Make and eat Roman food, handle Roman artefacts and animal bones, and discover the ancient history of East Dorset in the archaeology gallery with options to also try on a toga, make a clay coil pot and design a mosaic. Take part in a sandpit archaeology dig, find out what archaeologists do and how they do it.

'Dig It!' Archaeology

Discover what archaeology can tell us about the distant past. What was it like before the Romans came? What did people eat and do in the past? What do archaeologists do? Why is archaeology important?

Handle objects from our archaeology collection to find out what they can tell us about ancient life. Take part in a sandpit archaeology dig, find out what archaeologists do and how they do it, prepare, wash and sort archaeological finds, and discover the ancient history of East Dorset.

Local Studies: The Story of East Dorset

Use your museum detective skills to discover the rich and fascinating history of East Dorset from prehistoric times to today. Who lived here in the ancient past and what did they leave behind? What can old maps and photographs tell us about how the area has changed? What can the history and development of the 16th century building that today houses the museum, tell us about the past?

Handle objects from our archaeology collection to find out what they can tell us about ancient life, discover the history and development of the museum building through a structured trail, and investigate what the building can tell us about the history of the area. Use old maps, photographs and evidence to work out how and why the area has developed over time, and discover the ancient history of East Dorset.

Young Curators

What goes on behind the scenes in a museum? What collections does the museum have? How do we look after and keep our collections? What makes a good exhibition? Have a go at making your own exhibition!

Handle objects from our collections to find out more about where they came from and how we look after them, examine the museum's displays and find out what makes a good exhibition, put together your own display using objects from our collections, and ask the Curator and members of the museum staff about what they do and why they do it.

Cross-curricular creative sessions

The museum's collections can be used across the curriculum to creatively support a range of subjects and topics across all Key Stages. We have worked with schools on a range of cross-curricular sessions, for example, art and design projects using the building, objects and photographs; design and technology using the costume collection; creative literacy using objects and the Victorian Valentine card collection; and citizenship using our library and collections.

Outreach

We can provide outreach sessions in school on all these topics, with some adaptations. A member of the Learning Service team will visit your school with suitable items from the collections. In addition, we provide a talk about the topic and answer any questions the children may have.