Welcome to Leighton House, Kensington, the magical home of celebrated Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton.
Do you like stories full of mystery, drama, love and adventure? So did Leighton! He was inspired by the myths of Ancient Greece and Rome to create some of his best known paintings and the Narcissus Hall in his home.
Be inspired too! Make and create with our five activity packs, and listen to these wonderful stories told by our professional storyteller, Vanessa Woolf (@londondreamtime).
The William Morris Society promotes all aspects of the life and work of William Morris (1834-1896) and runs a small museum at his former home, Kelmscott House in Hammersmith. Download the instructions to make your own sunflower, inspired by Morris’ designs, here.
Let’s Make a Mobile!
The Emery Walker Trust conserves, maintains and displays Emery Walker’s House at 7 Hammersmith Terrace and its contents, and promotes the advancement of the study and appreciation of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Download the instructions to make your own Arts & Crafts mobile here.
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Gemma from the Museum of Methodism and John Wesley’s House will be showing us how to make a rattle drum. The inspiration for the activity is Charles Wesley, John’s brother, who along with John was one of the founders of the Methodist Church. Charles was a talented musician and writer, he wrote over 6000 hymns! So, join in and become Music Makers too! If you would rather read the instructions, you can download them here.
Did you know that Benjamin Franklin started out as a printer? Follow the steps outlined in the video below to create your own simple monoprint. If you would rather read the instructions, you can download them here. You might like to include images which link to Franklin’s life, like his famous kite and key experiment.
https://benjaminfranklinhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BFH_logo_RGB_Black.jpg6001000Henry Wilkinsonhttps://benjaminfranklinhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bfh_web_logo_white_retina.pngHenry Wilkinson2020-07-31 17:55:122020-08-01 09:16:02Virtual Children's Summer Fete: Benjamin Franklin House
We are excited to announce that following new UK government guidelines on museums and galleries, Benjamin Franklin House will be reopening to the public with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In celebration of American Independence Day, we will offer Architectural Tours from 2-4pm on 4 and 5 July. Please make a booking for this special celebration here.
Following, we will be open Friday-Sunday, 12-5 for Architectural Tours from Friday, 10 July. We hope to begin running our primary offering, the Historical Experience,before the close of summer.
Please make a booking for Architectural Tours here.
Changes to ensure the safety of visitors and staff
To ensure we keep everyone safe:
We are limiting group sizes to 4 people from separate households. If your group has more than 4 people from your household, please contact us at info@benjaminfranklinhouse.org or +44 207 839 2006 to arrange your booking
All staff and visitors (excluding those exempt under current UK government guidance) will be required to wear a mask inside the House – on entry, visitors will find a station with hand sanitiser, masks, and gloves
Our staff will be regularly cleaning the public areas throughout the days we are open to the public to ensure a safe environment
We look forward to welcoming you again to Benjamin Franklin’s only surviving home in fulfilment of our mission to bring history and innovation to life!
Join our series of weekly virtual classes to learn how Ben Franklin’s inventions and scientific discoveries illuminate the national curriculum! You can recreate all the featured science demonstrations at home using household materials.
In 1769, Venus could be seen passing across the Sun from Earth. Scientists in Philadelphia carefully tracked its journey and used this to measure the distance between the Sun and the Earth. Ben Franklin wrote about their findings and this helped American to enter the global scientific community. Learn more about the transit of Venus as well as the other planets before creating your own model solar system!
Materials: black paper, tin foil, acrylic/ poster paints, paintbrush, PVA glue
Links to the Science Curriculum:
KS2: Earth and Space (Y5)
KS3: Space Physics
Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (US Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!
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Join our series of weekly virtual classes to learn how Ben Franklin’s inventions and scientific discoveries illuminate the national curriculum! You can recreate all the featured science demonstrations at home using household materials.
In 1783, a dramatic volcanic eruption took place in Iceland which lasted for several months. Ben Franklin wrote about how the eruption might have impacted the climate across Europe. Find out more about the eruption of Laki and how volcanoes work. You’ll also create your own model of an erupting volcano!
Materials: small plastic bottle, paper, scissors, tape small bowl, cup, 1tbsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tbsp washing up liquid, 2 tbsp water, ½ cup vinegar, 1 tbsp red food colouring,
Links to the Science Curriculum:
KS2: Rocks (Y3)
KS3: Earth and Atmosphere
Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 but all ages welcome!
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To join this 1 hour online class on Thursday 25 June at 4pm BST/11am EDT, please register here.
We are delighted to be collaborating with the New-York Historical Society on a special installment of their History @ Home series to uncover the many different faces of Benjamin Franklin.
By examining the New York Historical Society’s collection of artefacts portraying this Founding Father of the United States, students will learn to interpret symbols in works of art before creating symbolic portraits of their own.
Activity Materials: Bring your favourite drawing materials to complete an art activity at the end of the session!
Most Suitable for Years 4-7 (Grades 3-6) but all ages welcome!
The New-York Historical Society Education Division provides dynamic programming and curriculum resources for students and teachers in New York and beyond. Historical study sparks curiosity and creativity, promotes cultural understanding, and fosters an empowered citizenry to strengthen our democracy. Our staff of passionate professionals draws on our world-renowned collections to engage learners of all ages in the study of our collective past.
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We are very excited to welcome a guest presenter from The Museum of Methodism & John Wesley’s House for this week’s instalment of our weekly virtual science classes. You can recreate the featured demonstration at home using household materials.
John Wesley and Benjamin Franklin lived in London at the same time and they were both interested in electricity, John even visited America! It’s John’s journey to America that’s inspired this session led by Gemma Smith, Learning & Community Engagement Officer at John Wesley’s House. John encountered a scary storm on his way there so we’ll be thinking about what materials float and why. You’ll be able to join in with the experiments as we go along, testing materials from around your house. We’ll also explore how the density of materials affects whether they float or not.
Activity Materials:
Experiment 1: a large bowl/container of water, different materials from around the home e.g. wood (pencil), plastic (old bottle), metal (coin), cork, fruit
Experiment 2: ice cube, water, oil, a glass
Experiment 3: syrup (the syrup should be pre-poured into an old jam jar or other see-through container), water, oil
Links to the Science Curriculum:
KS2 – Materials and their properties
KS3 – Density
Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!
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Please register here, to receive the joining link and password.
This 30 minute class will begin at 3pm BST/10am EDT on Tuesday 23 June.
We are very exciting to welcome a guest presenter from Newington Green Meeting House for this week’s instalment of our weekly virtual science classes. You can recreate the featured demonstration at home using household materials.
Newington Green Meeting House is a place where for over 300 years people have been thinking differently. In this session Amy Todd, Community and Learning Manager, will be showing us how to perform one of Joseph Priestley’s experiments. Joseph Priestley used to come to the Meeting House and was friends with one of our famous ministers, he was the person who discovered Oxygen, and he did lots of experiments with gases. He even invented the world’s first carbonated drink, so without Priestley there would be no Fanta today! In this experiment you will learn how to instantly freeze your favourite fizzy drink and amaze your friends!
Activity Materials: fizzy drink of your choice, space in a freezer, a bowl, some ice (1-2 cubes will be fine)
You will need to put your soft drink in the freezer for 3.5 hours before we start so you can join in!
Links to the Science Curriculum:
KS2: States of Matter (Y4, Y5)
KS3: Matter – Physical Changes
Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!
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