Behind the scenes with the learning team: Home Educating Families

by Rachael Hall, Engagement Officer for Formal Learning.

We want all learners to engage with our fantastic collections and historic houses. Many home educating families visit our museums and we want them to have exciting, hands-on learning activities.

Over the last four years, 761 children and young people have taken part in 49 different activities. This includes taking part in workshops, behind the scenes tours and even crane rides!

This year we created lots of special learning experiences for home learners. Children have investigated real artefacts created by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. They joined an Iron Age tribe at Blaise Museum and had fun dressing-up as Romano-British people at Kings Weston Roman Villa. ‘Dame Joan Young’ led a workshop about Tudor portraits at the Red Lodge Museum.

At M Shed, children visited the cab of a crane to learn about pulleys and found out how a steam engine works.

Next month home educating families will take part in themed Medieval and Roman activities and younger children will join us for a Victorian Christmas at Blaise Museum.

What’s coming up?

Looking ahead to 2020 we will be offering another varied programme including activities inspired by the Do you believe in magic? exhibition at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. There will also be a World War II evacuation-themed experience at Blaise Museum.

If you home educate please visit our dedicated Home Educating Family webpage. You can also sign-up to our learning e-newsletter.

Agni is a home educator. She wrote to us after our Leonardo da Vinci drawing workshop:

Thank you for organising such a successful session. My daughter enjoyed it so much. It was lovely that it was structured but you run it in such a free manner that it was not overwhelming for more shy children. Well done and thanks again.