School Visits
On Wednesdays, the Polar Museum although closed to the general public, will be open for pre-booked school group visits (one morning/one afternoon). Priority will be given to school groups who are visiting as part of a polar project. This arrangement will last until the end of 2021. You will lead your group around the museum accompanied by a member of our education team. We are happy to lend you clipboards and pencils. There is a suggested donation of £1 per child for a class group visit to the Polar Museum.
Home school challenges
Artist Kaitlin Ferguson shows you how to make your own ichthyosaur using one of Mary Anning's fossils in the Sedgwick Museum’s collection as inspiration.
There are two different makes that you can try depending on how much time you have.
Make one: Ichthyosaur template
Make two: salt, flour and water to make salt dough (or plasticine or playdough)
To make your zine you will need:
A session tracing life in Britain from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age. Find out what distinguishes each epoch and how everyday objects changed through time and space. View the Powerpoint
Visit our website for more details and teacher's resources.
Rituals and Beliefs focuses on the scene from a plaster cast taken of a stone lintel from the doorway of a temple in the city of Yaxchilan, now in modern day Mexico, and dating from 709AD.
The images depict a blood-letting ritual being performed by Lady K'ab'al Xook and her husnabd King Shield Jaguar. Lady K'ab'al Xook can be seen pulling a rope of thorns through her tongue in order to collect blood in a bowl filled with bark paper. Both figures are wearing jade and obsidian jewellery and dressed in resplendent costumes made fo fur and elaborate fabrics.
An adaptation is when part of the body becomes specialised for a certain function that means the animal has a better chance of survival in a particular environment.
The Wonderchicken research team have put together a craft activity and information sheets about different types of bird and how they have adapted to the environment they live in.
You will need:
How did the ancient Maya express their identity? What objects did they use to show their power? What can archaeology tell us about Maya life? These are some of the questions we will discuss while students learn how to read a Maya monument and handle objects from Central and South America.
In this self-led activity you will be shown close ups of statue hands. Can you guess what they are doing and who they are based on these small fragments? Take the quiz with the whole family and see which one of you is the most detail-orientated and imaginative!
It’s a good opportunity for you to take some time out and relax, while getting to know our casts a little better!
Follow our video, set to calming music and stretch your body like an ancient statue. Or download the presentation guide and carry out the exercises at your own pace.
All you need to get started is a mat, blanket or towel.
This activity will lead you through a gentle 10 minute stretch, perfect for the whole family!
