LEARNING
Taught Sessions
Taught Sessions
- Taught sessions are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- Capacity is limited to one class a day and a minimum of 4 accompanying adults will be required to support the students
- Cost £4.50 per child, per session (all invoices need to be paid within 30 days of issue, or prior to arrival at Hall Place in the case of a short lead booking)
See the Booking Pack for more information on what to expect on your school visit, site maps and our terms and conditions. It covers all the Frequently Asked Questions that teachers need answers for about visiting the site.
Covid- All sessions will be run in accordance with the current Covid 19 best practice for museums. It is essential that teachers undertake their own risk assessment. In the event a booking has to be cancelled due to any unforeseen circumstances, we will try to reschedule your visit to a new suitable date.
If you are interested in booking a taught session at Hall Place, please fill in the School Enquiry Form below and email it to Hallplaceeducation@bexley.gov.uk and our Education Officer will get back to you.
Home Life in Victorian Britain – Washday (60 minutes) Suitable for any age/ability
Experience the past by living it! Wash clothes and discover how much life has really changed in the last 150 years.
Domestic life in Victorian times up to the 1940s was based on hard manual labour. During this session children look at some of the equipment used to cook and clean, they also get hands-on washing clothes using our object handling collection. in a big house like Hall Place is wasn’t the family that did all the domestic chores. they were lucky enough to employ others to do it for them. We take a look at the servants and other staff to find out who did what and where.
This session requires teachers to print out the Students On-site Activity Sheet that accompanies the session’s teaching for their class to use. Please see the list opposite for in depth teachers notes on the session and the session activity sheets available. Please choose the right sheets for your class’s age and abilities and bring them with you for use during the session.
Toys & Games of the Past (60 minutes) Suitable for age/ability
Experience the past by living it! Play with toys from the past and discover how much life has really changed in the last 150 years.
Toys and games changed surprisingly little from ancient times to the 1940s. Learn how simple wooden toys evolved into the metal mechanical toys of the rich Victorians and what the amazing zoetrope led to. Children are given the opportunity to play with different toys such as the cup & ball, whip & top, skittles, wooden hoop and hoop-la. Toys may differ depending on availability.
Mr Newman’s Beautiful Butterflies (60 minutes) Suitable for age/ability
Learn all about the famous 20th century local butterfly expert Mr Newman using archive photographs and our museum collection. Undertake your own scientific investigation as a lepidopterist and learn about butterfly classification, adaptation, life cycles and anatomy with a little maths work on symmetry too, Make your own butterfly specimen display to finish at school. This session requires teachers to print out the Students On-site Activity Sheet that accompanies the sessions teaching for their class to use.
This session requires teachers to print out the Students On-site Activity Sheet that accompanies the session’s teaching for their class to use. Please see the list opposite for in depth teachers notes on the session and the session activity sheets available. Please choose the right sheets for your class’s age and abilities and bring them with you for use during the session. Each student will need a copy of the appropriate On-site Activity Sheet, plus a copy of the colouring sheet.
Most schools team this session with a visit to Bexley Butterfly House.
How Does Your Garden Grow (60 minutes) Suitable for age/ability
This session has been developed to show children where food comes from and how plants grow. We start by looking at different seeds and discover what they grow into with a fun quiz. Children get the chance to plant their own seeds to grow back at school and then tour our vegetable plots to see what is growing.
The winter edition: Buds and Berries is available Oct-March. Please make sure your class is dressed for the weather.
There is a free self-led Tree Trail that can accompany this session – this involves learning about different trees in the formal garden area. The Trail Guide for adults is available to print and includes images, fascinating facts and suggested discussion points with your students.
Add On’s
Bexley Butterfly House
The tropical butterfly house is full of free flying tropical butterflies from warm toasty parts of the world. They may even land on you if you are lucky as you walk around them. There are also have fruit feeding stations, where you can view the butterflies tucking in to a sweet snack and feeding on nectar flowers. All this is set amongst a planted hot tropical rainforest theme.
Cost: £3 per child
Capacity: Bexley Butterfly House can admit up to 10 children at a time with one free adult. A ratio of 1 adult for every 5 children is required. So you will need to divide your class up into 3 separate groups. Each visit lasts about 20 minutes and is a wow factor the children never forget.
What it includes: a tailored visit with an expert looking at the tropical butterflies, their lifecycles (egg, caterpillar, pupae) and the environment in which they live. Dividing your class into 3 groups with one in the butterfly house, and the other 2 spotting butterflies in the gardens in rotation works really well. We supply the spotter sheets on the day.
Location: In the Glasshouses near the entrance to the gardens.
Lunches: Sorry there is no lunch space here. Please see Visiting the Gardens for more advice.
Jambs Owls
Visit the Parliament of Owls (that’s what a group of owls are called). Run by Jambs Owls who look after visitor-friendly barn owls, eagle owls and many other species, hear about how owls survive in the wild, what they like to eat and their nocturnal habits.
Cost: £3 per child, adults free
Capacity: Jambs Owls Experience a whole class. Ratio of 1 adult for every 5 children required. Each visit is a wow factor the children never forget.
What it includes: a tailored visit with an expert looking at the different owls, their lifecycle, and their lives in the environment they live in.
Location: In the Glasshouses near the entrance to the gardens.
Lunches: Sorry there is no lunch space here. Please see Visiting the Gardens for more advice.
Jambs Owls are also available for outreach visits to schools.
Tree-mendous Tree Trail
This is a adult led trail learning about different trees in the formal garden area. It includes a map, images, fascinating facts and suggested discussion points with your students.
Cost: Free. Download and print at school. You will need one sheet per adult
Capacity: Please visit the trees in smaller groups
What it includes: A self-led trail around the formal garden highlighting 6 different trees, their leaves and seeds. Also includes some simple activities to try. Divide your class into smaller groups and print off one trail sheet per adult to lead with. Includes easy to follow map.
Location: Outside in the gardens