Spring into 2008 at Hartlebury!

Worcestershire County Museum

Worcestershire County Museum is housed in the north wing of Hartlebury Castle, the estate of the bishops of Worcester for over 1000 years. As part of our continuing education service, your pupils can enjoy on- and off-site curriculum-linked sessions for Key Stages 1, 2 and beyond based on the following subject areas:

Hands-on at Hartlebury: Roleplay –

“Belowstairs” – vacancies have arisen at Hartlebury Castle for the positions of Boot Boy and Scullery Maid and we invite your class to apply! 

This session offers children the opportunity to use authentic equipment in our reconstructed scullery and laundry and to find out more about a child’s life in the service of a late 19th century household. Led by Hartlebury’s housemaid, your class will take part in a number of genuine Victorian household servants’ daily tasks including cleaning cooking pots with sand and sweeping a carpet with damp tea leaves.

The Schoolroom – experience a typical Victorian school day with Miss Proper, Hartlebury Castle’s resident school ma’am, the strictest schoolteacher in Worcestershire!

During this session your class will undertake a lesson in our reconstructed schoolroom using slates and slate pencils, wear Victorian costume and if they are very naughty, find out about the back straighteners, fingerstocks and the dreaded cane! This is followed by a traditional playtime with spinning and whipping tops, hoops, stilts and yo-yos.
Curriculum links: History, Design & Technology, English and Science e.g.:
• KS2 History Unit 11: What was it like for children living in Victorian Britain?
• KS2 Citizenship Unit 7: Children’s Rights – human rights

Roleplay: Classroom at War! – Meet Miss Croake and through a series of hands-on activities, be prepared for wartime life as an evacuee.
Sessions available all year round at the museum but during May-September, combine your visit with a trip on the Severn Valley Railway (see below)!
Telephone the Museum for further details.
Curriculum links: History, Design & Technology, English and Science e.g.:
• KS2 History Unit 9: What was it like for children in the Second World War?

NEW for 2008!

Make do and Mend – Try a number of hands on activities related to life in the home during the Second World War in our historic scullery and laundry.
Curriculum links: History, Design & Technology, English and Science e.g.:
KS2 History Unit 9: What was it like for children in the Second World War?

Hands On History: As part of ongoing developments for learning Hartlebury have introduced 3 new “Hands on History” sessions. Led by members of Hartleburys’ education team each 1hour session (see below) provides children with the opportunity to handle genuine museum artefacts and “make and take” something back to school! All sessions are relevant for Key Stages 1 & 2 History, Design & Technology, English and Science and complement roleplay sessions outlined above. Sessions offered for 2007 are:

Hands on Toys: Toybox – A look at how toys have changed through time with a simple sorting activity and make a toy to take to school (please ask children to bring a small favourite toy to the museum for this session).
Hands on Victorians: Wardrobe Wonders – A close look at a selection of Victorian clothes and accessories! Make a Victorian optical toy to take back to school
Hands on Wartime: George and Ethel’s Suitcases – A look inside evacuees’ suitcases, plus make a model air raid shelter to take back to school.

Key Stages 3 & 4: Additional talks are available on request and cover topics including:
Images of an age – A look at the portrait collection at Hartlebury
Curriculum Links: History, Design & Technology, English and Art e.g.:
• KS3 History Unit 7: Images of an age: what can we learn from portraits 1500-1750?
• KS3 Art Unit 00: Visiting a museum or art gallery
• KS3 Art Unit 7a: Self-image
Church & People – The role of the Church in mediaeval life
Curriculum Links: History, Citizenship e.g.:
• KS3 History Unit 4: How did the medieval church affect people’s lives?
Building Detective – Using buildings as source materials
Curriculum Links: History, Art, English and Design & Technology e.g.:
• KS3 Art Unit 7b: What’s in a building?
• KS3 History Britain 1066-1500
• KS3 History Unit 1: What’s it all about? (asking historical questions, historical interpretation)

Leisure and Tourism at Hartlebury  - Find out how we market and promote the museum, offer events & exhibitions, manage budgets, identify new audiences, attract visitors and offer services to schools. Information pack supplied and opportunities for developmental project work in partnership with the museum.
Curriculum Links:
• KS4 Leisure & Tourism

Hartlebury also offers work experience placements and opportunities for course-work related projects throughout the year. Places are limited; please contact Sue Pope ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ) or Julie Smith at the museum for further details ( This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it )..

Self-directed learning: The County Museum can offer opportunities for self-directed learning by providing a selection of artefacts for handling, drawing, discussion and private study to suit your requirements. These activities must be arranged in advance of your visit and a small administration charge applies. To book and to discuss your needs, please contact the Museum.

Hands-on in School:
“Make do and Mend” with Doris Dinsdale – Doris Dinsdale, wartime housewife, offers advice on “life at the Home Front” and explains to children how they can help with the war effort.

Together with Doris your school will investigate home life and the problems faced by families during the Second World War including evacuation, rationing and the blackout. Doris also gets them working, introducing children to a variety of household chores including ironing, beating carpets and playing with toys, using authentic and reproduction objects.

Artefact Resource Boxes: At the County Museum we recognise and appreciate the benefit of bringing objects to life to enrich learning. To support this view we offer a selection of tailor made curriculum linked Artefact Resource Boxes. Boxes consist of suitable original artefacts for handling and for using as inspiration for a wide range of lessons and activities. Contact Julie Smith at the Museum to find out about topics covered by these boxes.

Touch & Learn Boxes: The County Museum and Schools’ Library Service have combined forces to provide a unique educational resource for schools. Touch & Learn Boxes combine a selection of original museum artefacts with relevant background reading materials on subjects such as Other Cultures, Religions, Materials and Toys around the World.

Resources Subscription Services: Subscribe to our Schools Loan service and receive a FREE Touch & Learn box to be used in conjunction with your chosen resources AND receive a free place on our “Working creatively with objects in the Classroom” twilight session for teachers. Prices are based on the size of your school. Telephone/email Sue Pope for more informarion.

Museums Keep Moving 2008! Hartlebury is pleased to announce the launch during 2008 of a new exhibition “Going with the Flow – The Story of Rivers.” The exhibition looks at what lives along, in and on our rivers and also how they have shaped our technology, trade, towns and cities throughout history
Curriculum links: Geography, History, Design & Technology, Citizenship, English and Science.

This exciting and interactive exhibition is available for schools to book for whole or half day sessions from April 2008. For more information please contact the museum.

SCHOOL COMPETITION! Enter your museum in a classroom and/or your visit inspired schoolwork into our competition and have your exhibition put on display at Hartlebury. Contact Sue Pope for further details.

Throughout 2008

Professional development for teachers: Hartlebury holds regular professional development days for teachers. If you would like to find out more about the 2008 programme or how you can assist with the development of future exhibitions, displays and resources at the Museum via our Teachers Forum, please email Sue Pope on: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

• Family Events: Worcestershire County Museum also offers a series of FAMILY EVENTS and
HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES during the season.
For further events information visit our website at: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/museum

Further Details:

Prices:
Children - £1.50
Adults - £3.50 (1 teacher free for every 10 children)
Roleplay sessions at Hartlebury (2 hours) - £95.00 per day, £50.00 per half day. Roleplay sessions accommodate up to 35 children.
Roleplay in school – “Doris Dinsdale” - £160 per day, £90 per half day.
Hands on History sessions (1 hour) - £30.00 for up to 35 children (NB: 15 children undertake hands on activity whilst remainder tour museum using pre-supplied activity sheets, then groups swap over = 2 hours activity time in total).
Self-directed resources - £5.00 per selection
Talks & Tours (1 hour) - £20.00
Classroom at War plus Severn Valley Railway = £7.50per head (Tues-Fri, May-September only)

A Teachers’ Information Pack will be forwarded to you on confirmation of booking either a Roleplay or Hands-on History Session.  Packs can be purchased separately. Please telephone for details.

The Worcestershire County Museum is open for schools Tuesday-Friday, 10.00am-5.00pm.

For more detailed information about any of these services, to arrange preliminary visits, pricing structures and to book and organise your visit, please contact the Museum directly at:

Worcestershire County Museum
Hartlebury Castle
Hartlebury
Nr. Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY11 7XZ
Telephone: 01299 250416
Fax: 01299 251890
Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
www.worcestershire.gov.uk/culture

If you would like to discuss any area of our Education and Outreach Service and to see how we could tailor-make sessions for your school, please contact Sue Pope (Education & Outreach Officer) or Julie Smith (Learning Resource Assistant) on the above contact details.