Explore Kettle's Yard House and galleries with your students in this facilitated visit with open discussion and drawing activities. These facilitated visits are tailored to suit your class year level and learning objectives, introducing students to the unique nature of the Kettle's Yard House and collection. 

Introductory tour and drawing activities:
FREE to all UK-based state schools*
£75 per class for fee-paying schools. 
 

Enquire aT Yard School Bookings schoolbookings@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk 

Primary

KS1

Stories in Art: Words and Pictures

What is art? How can we understand it? We will look at 3 different artworks together and think about how artists tell stories using pictures instead of words, using the paintings to inspire our own creative writing.

About the Session 

From an enormous protein structure to plaster casts of chicken heads, students will see models spanning different scientific fields, dating from the 18th century to the 20th. They will learn about the importance of models in scientific investigations and discoveries throughout Biology, Chemistry and Physics. They will analyse the representation of concepts including electricity and genetic inheritance, have an in-depth look at the history of molecular models, and operate a mechanical model of the solar system.

Science is often presented as an objective subject, but scientists themselves are influenced by the world around them and by their own prejudices. Students will think about the links between instruments in our collection, scientific racism and the exploitation of resources and people through colonialism and Empire. The session will include a tour of the museum to think about the hidden histories behind some of our objects, a session looking at the faulty "science" behind racist hierarchies and a session discussing bias in globes and maps. 

About the Session 

Explore how technology has changed through time and learn more about key inventions such as microscopes, telescopes, globes and calculators. The Museum has many other intriguing inventions such as pre-film animation devices, papier-mâché human anatomical models and glass fungi. What will your students discover?

We offer facilitated workshops and self-led visits. There is no charge for our school sessions, but we welcome donations to support the Museum learning programme (recommended donation of £3 per child). Get in touch with the Museum Education Coordinator to discus your visit museumeducation@esc.cam.ac.uk

The following taught session is offered for KS5 students:

Anthropology, Archaeology and Identity (90 minutes)

This discussion based session examines the relationship between museums and people, as well as current issues with collection, curation and repatriation. Students will learn how the collections come to the Museum and how we navigate the ethics of display and access.

A museum teacher leads the first 45 minutes of the session. Students then independently investigate the galleries and conduct their own object research.

About the Session 

This set of activities focusses on women in STEM, using objects from the Whipple Museum to explore:

Caroline Herschel and Maggie Aderin-Pocock (astronomy)

Hertha Ayrton (engineering)

Ida Freund (chemistry)

Marjory Stevenson (microbiology)

Rosalind Franklin and Deborah Ruffunduo (microscopy)

Duration: Can be booked as: 

A 60-minute outreach session (online or in person) with ideas for activities to complete in class

or

About the Session 

This set of activities covers and expands on the Year 5 national curriculum unit "Earth and Space", using objects from the Whipple Museum to explore:

The solar system

Terrestrial, celestial and planetary globes

The earth's movement around the sun

Space science today 

Duration: Can be booked as: 

About the Session 

This set of activities covers aspects of the "animals, including humans" topic and can be adapted for KS1 or KS2, using objects from the Whipple Museum to explore:

How we hear

How we see

Bones in the body

The heart

The brain 

Duration: Can be booked as: 

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