Museum workshops

We believe that learning doesn’t just take place in the classroom, it happens everywhere. That’s why we’ve created a diverse programme of learning activities, that not only supports your curriculum, but offers children and young people the unique opportunity to learn by handling real objects and seeing original paintings. 

Full details of our new programme will be available shortly, however, here is a taster. For more information on each workshop please contact museumbookings@bristol.gov.uk

Early Years and Foundation Stage

Explorer Backpacks (Teacher led activity)
Venue: M Shed and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
A learning journey is like an adventure to an unknown land. So, what better way for young learners to investigate the museum collections, than by putting on a backpack and exploring! Not only do the backpacks encourage close observation of  museum objects, they are also a great resource for developing children’s’ speaking and listening skills.

Discover: Dinosaurs (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Discover: Toys (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Blaise Castle House Museum

Key Stage 1

Explorer Backpacks (Teacher led activity)
Venue: M Shed and Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
A learning journey is like an adventure to an unknown land. So, what better way for young learners to investigate the museum collections, than by putting on a backpack and exploring! Not only do the backpacks encourage close observation of  museum objects, they are also a great resource for developing children’s’ speaking and listening skills.

Discover: Colour, Shape and Pattern (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Discover: Dinosaurs (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Handle specimens and explore our collections to find out more about dinosaurs.

Discover: Eyes, Ears & Noses (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Handle real specimens to explore the similarities and differences between human and animal senses. Find out which animals have very well developed senses and discover what they are used for.

Georgian Bristol: At home with the Pinney Family (Half day workshop)
Venue: The Georgian House Museum
Imagine travelling back in time to join the household of the Pinney family at their Georgian home.  In our workshop you learn about family life upstairs and the hard-working staff downstairs, who kept everything running smoothly.

Discover: Toys (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Blaise Castle House Museum
Look at displays of old toys, think about materials and movement, contrast them with your own at home and play with a large collection of museum replica toys.

Discover: The Victorian Schoolroom (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Blaise Castle House Museum
Wearing replica costume, come to school and find out how children learned to read and write a hundred years ago.

Bristol: Ships, sailors and seafaring (Half day workshop)
Venue: M Shed
Coming soon. Launches Term 3, 2012.

Key Stage 2

Discover: Landscapes (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
 
Discover: 20th Century Art (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Discover: Portraits and Identity (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
What can we tell about a person from studying their portrait? This session is a great starting point for learning how to ‘read’ paintings.

Discover: Ancient Egypt (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Complete the Pyramid Challenge by handling and then identifying mystery objects from ancient Egypt, before matching them with their correct owners.

Discover: Rocks & Minerals (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Investigate how different rocks and minerals are used in everyday life.  Compare and contrast the properties of a range of specimens by handling and studying them closely.

Discover: Skulls & Teeth (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Discover how birds and mammals can live in different environments by handling and studying original skulls and teeth.

Ancient Greeks (Half day workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
Investigate Greek pottery by handling and observing original pots, before considering what they can tell us about life in Ancient Greece.

Bristol at War: The Home Front (Half day workshop)
Venue: M Shed
Investigate a rich collection of artefacts and documents to discover what life was like on the Bristol Home Front during World War Two.
Visit bristolblitzed.org for more information, resources and activity ideas to support your project.

The Port of Bristol (Half day workshop)
Venue: M Shed
Take a journey through the history of Bristol's port using objects, images and documents.
Visit bristolfloatingharbour.org.uk for more information, resources and activity ideas to support your project.

Tudor Bristol: Life at the Red Lodge (Half day workshop)
Venue: The Red Lodge Museum
Elizabeth I has arrived at the Red Lodge! Work with an original portrait, dress as an Elizabethan and investigate aspects of Tudor life.

Discover: The Victorian Schoolroom (1 hour workshop)
Venue: Blaise Castle House Museum
Wearing replica costume, come to school and find out how children learned to read and write a hundred years ago.

Key Stage 3

Discover: Art (Critical Studies) (1-2 hour workshop)
Venue: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol & Transatlantic Slavery (Half day workshop)
Venue: M Shed
Examine Bristol’s involvement in Transatlantic Slavery by selecting from a menu of resources including a visit to both the galleries and a taught workshop at Bristol’s new M Shed museum. Your students will develop skills including how to use and evaluate both primary and secondary sources of evidence, gain an understanding of cause and consequence and explore a diversity of points of view.

Bristol at War: The Home Front (Half day workshop)
Venue: M Shed
Investigate a rich collection of artefacts and documents to discover what life was like on the Bristol Home Front during World War Two.
Visit bristolblitzed.org for more information, resources and activity ideas to support your project

The Port of Bristol (Half day workshop)
Venue: M Shed
Take a journey through the history of Bristol's port using objects, images and documents.
Visit bristolfloatingharbour.org.uk for more information, resources and activity ideas to support your project.

Key Stage 4

Would you like to search the museum collections to find images of objects, paintings and documents to help with your research?  Well, now you can because we’re creating an online resource where you can pick ’n’ mix the images to suit your needs.

Find out more on our M Shed website

Continuing professional development

We are very knowledgeable about our collections and about how to use them to inspire learning.  We can share this with teachers and tutors who would like ideas about how to develop a locally-relevant curriculum, how to use paintings and objects to inspire cross-curricular activities and how to approach teaching sensitive subjects such as Transatlantic Slavery and Conflict.

Special Educational Needs

Please contact us to discuss

How to book

Book your group visit