Museum Workshops
Bede’s World educational Visits
Bede's World Education Service offers a range of sessions for schools. These are designed both to satisfy the needs of teachers following the national curriculum, and to enable pupils to explore the potential of the museum, site and farm to the full. All the sessions are led by a member of the education staff, and run for around 1 hour 45 minutes. All materials are provided unless stated otherwise.
The current visits are:
Boy at the Monastery
What would Bede have felt when he became a monk, aged 7? What did he wear? How did he spend his day? Pupils learn about daily life and work in an Anglo-Saxon monastery. They dress in habits and process through St Paul’s Church, part of which stood in Bede’s time.
Through exploring the monastic site, the church and museum, pupils learn how to use written and physical evidence for life in Anglo-Saxon Northumbria.
This visit can be focus solely on the Anglo-Saxon period, or set the monastery in its wider chronological context, including the Vikings.
KS1- 4 History, English and Citizenship; RE Agreed Syllabus.
Scriptorium
An opportunity to be a scribe, handle replica tools and materials and write with a quill pen in Uncial script. By combining history with an element of literacy, pupils get a feel for the hard work and skill needed to make the beautiful books that monasteries were famous for in early medieval times.
KS1- 4 History, English, Literacy, Art & Design and Citizenship; RE agreed Syllabus
Anglo-Saxon Life
Explore life for the ordinary Anglo-Saxons in Gyrwe, our demonstration seventh century farm. See the sorts of buildings, animals, food, work, and materials that would have been familiar to a thegn or villein. Two pupils will be able to dress in replica clothes. Through handling replica tools and jewellery and exploring the buildings, children will experience first hand how written and archaeological evidence is used to piece together the past.
KS1- 4 History, English, Citizenship; KS1- 2 Geography.
Anglo-Saxon Homes
Using sorting games, object handling and exploration of our demonstration Anglo-Saxon farm, pupils explore the differences and similarities between life now, and life 1300 years ago.
KS1 History, Design & Technology, Science.
Business, Leisure and Tourism at Bede's World
Students explore the nature of different roles and priorities in the museum as a service industry. A presentation on marketing is followed by pupils discussing and giving presentations on solutions to visitor service scenarios.
KS4 Leisure and Tourism, Business Studies
KS3-4 Citizenship, PSHE
Art and Design
Students explore the potential of the site for inspirational source material. Teachers can opt for students to follow a design brief, producing designs for signage, for a temporary display, or a brief of your own choosing.
KS3-4 Art & Design,
KS4 Vocational Art & Design
Beowulf Visit
Beowulf, the ancient epic tale of heroes and monsters, is brought to life with this fantastic visit. Pupils make Anglo-Saxon warrior’s helmets and brooches in class before the visit, based on a template and visual references sent in our pre-visit pack. They also practise a warrior chant based on the opening lines of the poem in Old English and make up “warrior boasts” to perform. On the visit day children are given a cloak each and together with their masks and brooches they are ready to become part of the Beowulf story acted out throughout the museum with the Beowulf and Grendel climax performed in our demonstration Anglo-Saxon Hall on the farm.
KS1-2 Art, Drama, History, Literacy
'Learn & Make' visits: Chalice Workshop
Without Benedict Biscop there might have been no Bede. Benedict was the man who founded the Wearmouth-Jarrow monastery with its fabulous library and wonderful glass. Find out about the special things that Benedict Biscop brought back from his travels for his magnificent monastery and then make an Anglo-Saxon style chalice from clay.
KS1 curriculum - Art & Design and History. Note: £3 per child for this activity.
'Learn and Make’ visits: All creatures great and small
Get to know our farm animals - how they move, what they eat and how they grow - on a walk around our farm before making an animal mask or a fluffy sheep.
KS1 curriculum - Science, Art & Design and Citizenship. Note: £3 per child for this activity.
‘Learn and Make’ visits: Franks casket crafts
The Franks Casket is a box of stories. It is thought to have been made by monks in a monastery near here. Hear the riddle of what the box is made of and the story of the pictures carved into the front. Then see the sort of clothes a monks who made it would have worn, then make a tile from clay, based on the Franks Casket.
KS1 curriculum - History, Art & Design, RE and Citizenship. Note: £3 per child for this activity.
All workshops last 1hour and 45minutes.
We are always happy to accommodate your specific requirements. Please contact us to discuss how we can include other subject areas or special needs. Minimum Class size 8, maximum class size 32. We run multiple workshops simultaneously, should you have two groups or more.
Click to view our prices, or to book, fill in our Education enquiry form and a member of our Education Team will be in touch. Alternatively ring Bede’s World on 0191 489 2106 and ask for Carrie, Claire or Jane in the Education Department.