Doncaster Museum Education Service

What's available through the Education Service?

Doncaster Museum Education Service offers a range of learning sessions from the Romans to Remembrance Day, and from the Victorians to Mini-Beasts, to schools and educational establishments at its two sites, Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery and Cusworth Hall Museum and Park.  A 2011-12 calendar is available for download on this page.

Specialist and experienced Education Officers deliver learning sessions to schools across a broad range of  topics as well as out-of-school-hours activities for families and local communities.  If you are looking for a specific workshop for your class that is not listed here please contact the education officer at the relevant site.

The third part of the Museum Education Service is the Museum Loans Service based at Barnby Dun.  The Museum Loans Service runs a busy School Loans Collection, and a Reminiscence Collection for organisations who work with elderly groups, including care homes. 

Please refer to the Museum Loans Service for information, and to browse the School Loans Catalogue online. 

Special Schools: We aim to accommodate requests for sessions and learning topics if you contact us with your requirements.

Standard Learning Sessions at Doncaster Museum

These sessions run throughout the year.

We Dig the Romans!

Key Stage 2(Adaptable for KS3)

Session length- 1½ -2 hours

Curriculum themesScience, Citizenship and History

Using a range of specimens and authentic Roman artefacts the children will investigate the methods used by archaeologists to build up a picture of life in the past. This interactive session is an ideal introduction to the use of primary evidence

Look Out, the Romans are Coming! 
Key Stage2 (Adaptable for KS1)
Session length – 1½  - 2 hours 

Curriculum themes(Invaders and Settlers, Local History).

In this “hands on” workshop, based on historical enquiry and the use of artefacts, children will consider the reasons for and the effects of the invasion and settlement of the Romans in Britain, with specific reference to our local area. We will investigate written accounts from that period and handle genuine Roman artefacts. The enactment of simple roleplaying in costume will assist children to compare and contrast the Roman way of life with the lifestyle of the Iron Age Celtic tribes. This workshop can be adapted to suit theneeds of schools outside of the local area.

It’s All Greek to Me!(Also looking at the Ancient Olympics)

Key Stage2 (Adaptable for KS1)
Session length – 1½ - 2 hours 

Curriculum themes –History 14 and 15; Art and Design 5c and 6c sec.1; Citizenship 5 and 8.

Explore what life would have been like for a Greek child. Discover what a debt we owe to Greek inventors and be amazed at how far they would go to trade. Uncover what the myths meant to the Greeks and what it would have been like to be a Greek soldier. Explore why sport and particularly the Olympic Games were important to the Greeks. Take part in a simple role-play and visit a Greek Doctor to discover what range of herbs would have been used to cure a cold, help a toothache and sooth tired feet!

It Happened Around Here – a look at the local history of Doncaster

Key Stage2 (Adaptable for KS1 and 3)
Session length – 1½ - 2 hours 

Curriculum themesHistory 7 (Local History) Citizenship Unit 5 English EN1 Speaking and Listening 1a, b and c: Group Discussion and Interaction 1a, b and c.

Discover the local history of Doncaster, looking at primary evidence including artefacts, newspapers and original school workbooks. Children have the opportunity to dress in period costume to create a ‘living’ timeline. Where possible, this workshop can be adapted to suit your different requirements.

A selection of other workshops are available at specified times of the year. See calendar for details.

Bombs, Bullets and Powdered Egg
Key Stage2 (Adaptable for KS1)
Session length – 1½ - 2 hours 
Curriculum themes– History Unit 9 and Citizenship Unit 7

At this WWII themed workshop, children will learn what it was like to be a child at that time; experience an air raid in our mock-up (half-size) bomb shelter; become a shopkeeper or customer in our 1930s/40s style shop. Learn about why children were evacuated to Doncaster and what life was like on the home front. The session includes working in the newly refurbished King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum (KOYLI)

Sculpture - It’s not so hard!

Key Stage 1 and 2 (Adaptable for schools with special requirements)
Session length – 1½ - 2 hours 

Curriculum themes - Art and Design Unit 1B, 1C, 2C, 3A, 3C and 9gen.

Design and Technology Unit 3A. Science Unit 1C, 2D, Science Unit 3C.

Citizenship Unit 1 and 9                            

This ‘hands on’ workshop is designed to enable children to develop their understanding of shape, form, texture and the sensory quality of materials, and to equip children with the practical information necessary to create their own three-dimensional sculpture in the form of a clay maquette [small-scale model].A tour of the sculpture in the gallery will encourage children to communicate observations, ideas and feelings by looking at the differences and similarities in sculptures and the reasoning behind different artists work.

What: No Mummies!

Key Stage 2 (Adaptable for KS1)
Session length – 1½ - 2 hours 

Curriculum themes – History Units 10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6. Citizenship Unit 5 English EN1 Speaking and Listening 1a, b and c: Group Discussion and Interaction 1a, b and c.

Discover, through the use of original artefacts and high quality replicas, what we can discover about the people of the Nile.  We will also look at the link between hieroglyphs and art in ancient Egypt. Using our life-size replica mummy, Imhotep, we will discover the process of mummification and what the ancient Egyptians believed about the afterlife.

Seasidefrom the Past– Natural History

Key Stage 1
Session length – 1½ - 2 hours 

Curriculum themes – Science Unit 1A, Geography Unit 4, History Unit 3

Explore how people used to enjoy the seaside - with a focus on the East Coast.

For bookings and further information about sessions at Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery please contact; alan.hall@doncaster.gov.uk or hazel.wright@doncaster.gov.uk or telephone 01302 734288

Standard Learning Sessions at Cusworth Hall

These sessions run throughout the year.

Toy Story
Key Stage 1 (adaptable for Key Stage 2)
Session length - 1½ to 2 hours
Curriculum themes – History; Science

Talk about toys, look at toys and play with toys from the past. What toys did children like to play with long ago? See what old toys look like and find out how some toys moved without batteries or electricity. Look at the Museum’s collection of toys in the Childhood Room, guess what they are made of and work out how old they are. Play with some of the replica toys in the Study Base and play some traditional games outside in the kitchen yard if the weather is fine.

Toys from the 1950s

Key Stage 1

Session length 1hour 30 mins to 2hrs

Curriculum theme: History Unit 1 sections 1 2 3 4 & 5

Take a closer look at some of the toys that our parents and grandparents played with.

Find out which toys were popular from the 1950s onwards. Play with some toys and games from the past in the Education suite. Look at some of the 1950s toys from the museum collection in the Childhood room, and discover which toys are still the same and which are different.

Home Sweet Home
Key Stage 1 (adaptable for Key Stage 2)
Session length - 1½ to 2 hours
Curriculum themes – History; Science

Find out what it was like to live in homes long ago and what it was like to have no running water or electricity. How did the washing get done and what did we do before the microwave? Discover how you would have a bath and go to the toilet without a proper bathroom. Find out how to cook and clean without electricity, by visiting the Great Kitchen. In the Study Base, take a closer look at some household objects from long ago, and do the washing the hard way!

Victorian Childhood
Key Stage 2 (adaptable for Key Stage 1)
Session length - 1½ to 2 hours
Curriculum themes – History; Citizenship

How different was it being a child in Victorian times to being a child today? Compare what is similar and what is different. Find out what home was like and how children had fun. What was school like and what did they learn? Go to Victorian school to find out. Why did some children have to work and what kind of jobs could they do? Have a go at doing some Victorian servants work. What type of clothes did Victorian children wear? Try some on and see. Take your photograph, in the Victorian style, in our Photography Studio.

Who was Florence Nightingale?
Key stage 1 adaptable for Key stage 2. Unit 4
Session length 1.30 mins-2hours

Why did Florence Nightingale become famous and why do we still remember her?

Find out about the life and times of this remarkable Victorian woman.  Learn about her valuable legacy to the nursing profession and other achievements.  The children will have the opportunity to look at and handle artefacts (some reproduction); look at images as well as take part in role play and hands-on activities.

A selection of other workshops are available at specified times of the year. See calendar for details.

Use the details below to contact the Education Officer at Cusworth Hall Museum & Park for further details.

For bookings and further information about sessions at Cusworth Hall Museum & Park please contact; june.fray@doncaster.gov.uk or telephone 01302 782342

Health and Safety Information

To help you with your risk assessments we have developed a Hazard Identification Sheet for each site, as well as Guidelines for a Successful Visit Sheet. You can download these documents on this page.

Information on Charges and Visits

Charges for Doncaster Local Authority(LA) schools
Doncaster LA schools are entitled to 4 FREE visits across both sites run by the Museum Service (Doncaster Museum & Art Gallery and Cusworth Hall, Museum & Park) per school year. Please note this is not 4 free sessions per site. Thereafter, charges are £60 per learning session for up to 30 children. The maximum number of children per learning session is 35. All pupils above the 30 per learning session quota will be charged at £2 per child.  Doncaster LA schools can also receive, for FREE, up to 10 loans items delivered to and collected from your school, each half-term. Please contact the loans service for full details.

Charges for Out of Borough schools and Independent schools
All schools outside of Doncaster or Independent schools will be charged. The fee is £60 + VAT per learning session, for up to 30 children. The maximum number of children per learning session is 35. All pupils above the 30 per learning session quota will be charged at £2 per child. 

Making the most of your visit
We suggest that a free pre-visit by the teacher-in-charge is made to fully familiarise the teacher with the educational facilities available at the Museum sites. It is also the duty of the teacher-in-charge to ensure that all children and helpers are aware of the purpose of the visit.

Learning Objectives/Outcomes 

All learning sessions are tailored around the National Curriculum. A synopsis of each session’s activities can be found on the ‘School Workshop Calendar’, available on this page for download. (An A3 hardcopy can be sent to your school if requested.) If you wish to discuss particular learning objectives/outcomes please contact the relevant education officer.
 

Cancellation of visits
If a school wishes to cancel a visit (including Doncaster LEA schools) they must notify the respective Museum at least 14 days before the date of the visit. Otherwise, paying schools will incur the full charge of the visit and Doncaster LA schools will incur an administration charge of £25.