Workshop Programme

Our education workshops take place in the galleries and our education room. They include role-play activities and the opportunity to handle original museum objects. All workshops are £2 per pupil (plus the £3.50 child entrance fee to the museum for non-York schools) and are suitable for a maximum group of around 30 pupils, unless otherwise stated. They can be booked until the end of the 2008/9 school year.

Early Years

Deck the Halls ... at York Castle Museum

One hour, available 8 - 12 December, 2008
Join us for some festive fun as we find out how people used to decorate their homes at Christmas. As well as exploring old and new examples of decorations, including our festive Victorian Parlour, children will listen to a story and make their own decoration to take back home.

Seaside & Sandcastles

One hour, available 9 - 13 July, 2009
Come and find out how Grandma and Grandad spent their childhood summers in our fun, Seaside session! Children prepare for our imaginary journey to the seaside through role-play activities and learn holiday songs before playing with traditional beach-front games and activities. All in all, a grand day out!

Key Stage 1

Child's Play: Toys and Games the old-fashioned way

One hour 30 minutes, available 23 - 27 February, 2009
Pupils explore, compare and play with a range of old and new toys and games to develop an understanding of how some have changed or stayed the same over hundreds of years! By enabling children to handle and play with the toys, pupils get a real appreciation for how much fun toys of all ages were for their parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents! These sessions cost £90 for a class of 30.

Toys through Time

One hour
Pupils take a peep into an old toy chest to discover toys from the past. Through hands-on exploration they are encouraged to discuss the similarities and differences between toys, how they work and the materials they are made from.

I Spy: Moving Picture Toys

One hour
Pupils explore a range of old and new moving-picture toys then visit the toyshop owner in our Victorian Street. They use a Victorian penny to buy a pack of materials, which they use to make a moving-picture toy to take home.

Spotless! - A Victorian Wash Day

One hour
Pupils meet Dolly White, our Victorian character who's about to start her weekly wash. They then help Dolly with her washing by using the posser and dolly tub. As they move around the activities, they are challenged to answer our "pong" questions and identify Dolly's Mystery Objects!

We're all going on a ... 1950s Seaside Holiday

One hour 30 minutes, summer term 2009 only
Come and find out how Grandma and Grandad spent their childhood summers in our fun, 1950s seaside session! Children watch archive footage of families on holiday in the 1950s before preparing for our journey to the seaside through drama activities. They learn songs from the period, before playing some traditional beach-front pages. All in all, a grand day out!

Key Stage 2

Hope & Glory: Everyday life in World War 2

Two hour sessions. Available 13 - 17 October, 2009
Explore some of the day-to-day highs and lows of a child's life in the 2nd World War as you tour the museum in character and experience some of the hard facts and realities of the early 1940s. Guided through the session by our four characters, pupils get a real taste for rationing and the need to Dig for Victory in the kitchen, receive tuition on the war as well as gas-mask training from our school teacher, get valuable air-raid survival lessons from our ARP warden and have a go at making do and mending. Throughout it all, telegrams arrive with the latest news from the Front - will it be good or bad? These sessions cost £90 for a class of 30.

"It was the best of times. It was the worst of times..." Everyday life in Victorian York

Two hour sessions. Available 29 June - 3 July, 2009.
Pupils experience opposite ends of Victorian society as they take a Grand Tour through the museum. To get an appreciation of the opportunities and limitations of the 19th century class system, all pupils will try their hand at doing the laundry, receive a short, sharp lesson in the Victorian schoolroom, explore the shops, businesses and factories in Kirkgate with a Gentleman guide and help make butter to be taken back to school. These sessions cost £90 for a class of 30.

 

The Victorian Schoolroom

One hour
Pupils will be glad to get back to your classroom after an hour with our Victorian school teacher! After a cleanliness inspection of their hands, pupils take part in drill, try some mental arithmetic and recite a poem. "Sit up straight please, class, or we'll be getting the back straighteners out!"

Troubled Times...in Victorian York

One hour
Pupils take a tour of the Victorian Street with Joseph Beedham, street trader and rogue, who is always running out of time. When Joseph is arrested for theft pupils become the jury and help decide his fate.

A Stitch in Time: Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Victorian Life

One hour
Pupils explore the fabric of Victorian life through handling original artefacts which relate to the Victorian Parlour and Moorland Cottage room settings. Then, using original Victorian patchwork and samplers as inspiration, pupils create their own designs to take back to school.

The Swinging Sixties

One hour
Pupils visit our new Sixties gallery and are plunged into the vibrant sights and sounds of 1960s Britain. They try on costume, listen to music, furnish some dolls' houses and even 'launch' a space rocket! This session uses real artefacts and archive footage to set the decade in its post-war context, giving pupils an appreciation of how radically different the 60s were from the preceding decades.

Guess Who in World War Two: A Missing Person's Case

One hour
Pupils explore the contents of suitcases that have been left at our Second World War Lost Property Office. Through investigations of the contents and additional clues, pupils focus their analytical skills to identify, not only which of our characters each case belongs to, but also why they may have been in such a rush that they forgot it!

 

Key Stage 3

Defence, Defiance & Duty: Medieval Life at York Castle

Full day
It is 1322 and the Northern Barons' rebellion has been crushed and Roger de Clifford's grisly cadaver hangs from the Castle Keep as a brutal reminder of the King's authority. It is an uneasy peace and Edward II's poor leadership and high taxes continue to ferment unrest at all social levels. Investigate life within the Castle walls for the Sovereign, soldiers and serfs; explore sights, smells and tastes of medieval life. Assess the evidence and significance of causes for social unrest before ultimately choosing whether to remain loyal to your King or risk it all with the rebels!
This cross-curricular session has been developed in Partnership with English Heritage and activities occur in both the York Castle Museum and Clifford's Tower. Elements of History, Geography, Citizenship and RE programmes of study are covered. Full day sessions cost £5 per student for up to 90 students.