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Main > School Trip Destinations > Beamish North of England Open Air Museum - Click for Details
Type: School Trip Destinations
Beamish
County Durham, DH9 ORG England WEBSITE LINK: http://www.beamish.org.uk www.beamishcollections.com EMAIL ADDRESS: education@beamish.org.uk CONTACT: 0191 3704011 School Trip & Group Educational Information Introduction for school trips and educational visits Beamish is unique. This award-winning open air museum, set in 300 acres of beautiful County Durham countryside, vividly illustrates life in North East England in the early 1800s and early 1900s. Buildings from throughout the region have been brought to Beamish, rebuilt and furnished as they once were. Costumed staff welcome visitors and demonstrate the past way of life. Visitors travel by tram along the cobbled street of The Town, to pop into the Co-op shops, visit the Dentist’s surgery, Solicitor’s office and sample the treats in the Jubilee Sweetshop. Nearby at The Colliery Village guided tours are given underground at a real ‘drift’ mine and a row of pit cottages show how pitmen and their families lived. There’s a village school and Methodist chapel here too. Traditional breeds of pigs, poultry and cattle fill the farmyard at Home Farm and in the welcoming farmhouse kitchen, the farmer’s wife goes about her daily chores. Pockerley Manor illustrates life in the early 1800s; visitors explore the small manor house and stroll around the beautiful terraced gardens, stocked with varieties of flowers, fruit and vegetables of the times. At Pockerley Waggonway there’s the opportunity to take a ride on a recreation of an early 1800s steam train. Why is this venue great for School Trips and Educational Visits? At Beamish the children have the opportunity to ask questions to the people who ‘inhabit’ the display areas. The learning is very much at first hand; the experience stimulates all the senses and is memorable. For example at the dentists a child will smell, see and hear the period objects such as the dentist’s drill in their correct settings, a costumed demonstrator will explain how the objects were used, children can ask questions. This is repeated right around the Museum. It is not necessary to complete worksheets as the children travel around the site, although these are available. Above all, the Beamish costumed staff tell the story of the people of the region and make history come to life. The learning can build on the experiences the children have had in school, Houses and Homes, Famous People, Toys at Key Stage One, Local History, Victorians, Thinking Skills at Key Stage Two and Industrial Revolution, Suffragettes, Business Studies, Leisure and Tourism at Key Stage Three and Four. What does a typical school trip or educational visit include? Educational groups explore the unique period exhibits at Beamish at their leisure, choosing which areas they wish to visit and in which order. Costumed staff are on hand in each exhibit to talk to the children, demonstrate the past way of life and to answer questions. Schools can make a general visit to the Museum. There is plenty to see and do to keep children entertained and engaged throughout the day. However teachers may prefer to engage the children more meaningfully way by carrying out one of the following activities: For Key Stage One: Model Engineers: Come to the Waggonway and make your own steam engine out of clay just as George Stephenson did when he was a child. Teachers get a CD full of whiteboard resources about George. Toy Story: Play with a wide variety of old fashioned toys. Pit Cottage: Hands-on experience of how hard life was 100 years ago in a real miner’s cottage. “Poss those clothes, sweep the floor, everyone lends a hand in here!” Key Stage Two: Victorian Lesson: The very best way to learn what school was like for Victorian children. Step back in time to a Board School to use dip pens, ink, blotting paper or slates during an authentic recreation of education long ago. “Always start with a clean slate.” We ARE Amused: Make a thaumatrope and a zoetrope or make shadow puppet plays using the “Lambton Worm” as an inspiration. “To the past and beyond”. Promenade and Picnic: A Victorian walk in the countryside. Children experience a guided walk with activities through an area of the Museum site not normally accessible to visitors. Activities include storytelling, framing the landscape and making postcards. Murder Mystery: There’s a dead body at the Railway Station! Use your detective skills to find the clues. Quiz the townspeople, they will be able to tell you who, what, when, where and how. A great way to develop thinking skills, a fun way to find out about town life. Key Stage Three: Suffragettes on the High Street! Children take the roles of the different groups in the big issue of the time, march up the high street and debate pro or anti ‘should women have the vote?’ Did WIFE stand for washing, ironing, feeding and everything else? Mind Our Business! Inside information for students about this award-winning tourist attraction and multi-million pound business. Find out how we make it work! What size groups do they cater for? The Museum is a very, very large site. The Museum can cater for up to 1,000 children a day. What can they provide you with to support your school trip or educational visit? There is a teachers’ pack available on request as the teachers book their visit. This includes activity sheets that children can complete as they visit, literacy resources for Key Stage Two, Coal Mining Resources with photographs, census, maps and newspaper and whiteboard resources for Key Stage One about George Stephenson. Can you take photos, video or audio? Are there any copy write restrictions? Children can take images as they wish. Teachers who bring tripods will need Public Liability Insurance. How do you arrange a risk assessment? Complimentary tickets for pre-visit risk assessments are available when teachers have booked a visit. Hazard Identification sheets are available on request; these assist teachers to complete their own risk assessments. What are the contact details for their education officer? There are eight members of the Education Team at Beamish delivering activities for visiting groups. They can be contacted on 0191 370 4011 or emailed; education@beamish.org.uk What does it cost? Educational Group Visits 2008/09
(Pupils must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times during a visit to Beamish)
Opening times 2008/09
Summer Season
Winter Season Educational activities have an extra charge of about £45 per session. Is specific clothing required? Beamish is an Open Air Museum, children should bring sensible footwear and coats. Do you have first aid on site? There are qualified first aiders within each area of the Museum. What facilities do they have for school trips and educational visits? No extra charges at Beamish except for rides at the Victorian fairground (£1 per ride) and refreshments. There are toilets in most areas (including accessible toilets). Schools are advised to bring a packed lunch. There are outdoor picnic areas around the museum site and an under cover lunch room is available by prior arrangement. Catering facilities are offered in the Tea Room in The Town, Coffee Shop at the Entrance and Snack Bar at Home Farm. The Beamish Souvenir Shop sells wide range of gifts, books and postcards, including pocket money pens, pencils, rubbers and souvenirs. Are there disabled facilities? Beamish is a large open air museum with many historic buildings, some with stepped access. Within the historic areas we have files of photographs which can be viewed by visitors unable to access an exhibit.
There are a variety of ground surfaces across the Museum, some of which are uneven and steep. The trams and replica bus can carry visitors able to transfer from a wheelchair and who can negotiate steps. A fully accessible, period-style bus is in operation, this can carry up to four wheelchair users and their companions. Our staff undertake disability equality training and seek to provide honest, helpful advice. A leaflet is available with access information and advice in advance of a visit or from the Beamish website - www.beamish.org.uk Featured Listing: NoMore Information
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