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Live History Class: Georgian Health and Medicine

Join our virtual history classes on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 4:30pm BST to learn about key aspects of the Georgian period, when Benjamin Franklin was living in London. Together we will uncover the past and develop historical skills!

In this class, we’ll explore health in the Georgian era and the development of modern medicine. We’ll find out why it was common for women to faint and why there was an anatomy school at Craven Street. We’ll even have a go at making our own smelling salts!

Activity materials: Epsom salts, essential oils (available at low cost at most pharmacies), course sea salt, small container or pouch

Most suitable for KS2 and KS3 (US Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!

Watch the full class below:

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Live History Class for Kids: Education and Etiquette

Thursday 22 April 2021, 4:30pm BST/11:30am ET. Register here.

Join our virtual history classes on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 4:30pm BST to learn about key aspects of the Georgian period, when Benjamin Franklin was living in London. Together we will uncover the past and develop historical skills!

In this class, we’ll find out how education varied for boys and girls across different social classes during the Georgian era. We’ll even have a go at some cursive handwriting 18th century-style!

Activity materials: paper, pen, cursive template

Most suitable for KS2 and KS3 (US Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!

For more information, contact our Education Manager.

Watch the class below:

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Live History Class: Discover Georgian Ceramics

Thursday 8 April, 3pm BST/ 10am ET. Register here.

For this special holiday edition of our virtual history class series, we are delighted to welcome Anya Naumovic from the Newington Green Meeting House to introduce us to 18th century ceramics and show us how to make our own pinch pots!

Activity materials: 500g of air-dry clay

Optional decoration: acrylic paints, paint brush

(You will need to leave your pot to dry for 24 hours before decorating)

Most suitable for children aged 7-11 but all ages are welcome!

For more information, contact our Education Manager

Watch the class below:

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Live History Class: Georgian Easter Celebration

Thursday 1 April 3pm BST/ 10am ET. Register here.

Join us for this special Easter edition of our virtual history class series. During these sessions, we explore key aspects of the Georgian period, when Benjamin Franklin was living in London.

This week, we’ll learn how the Georgians celebrated Easter and even find out how to make our own Easter bonnets! 

Activity Materials: a paper plate, a paper bowl, scissors, tape, felt tip pens

Optional decorations: tissue paper, ribbons, stickers, Easter chicks, PVA glue 

Most suitable for children aged 5-11 but all ages are welcome!

By registering, participants agree to follow our Online Safety Agreement

For more information, contact our Education Manager

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Virtual Talk: Sarah Pomeroy, Children’s Author in Residence

Join us for a presentation by our inaugural Lady Joan Reid Children’s Author in Residence, Professor Sarah B. Pomeroy, who will interviewed by Lynn Sherr about her book, Benjamin Franklin, Swimmer (American Philosophical Society Press 2021), inspired by Franklin’s love of swimming, and one of his first inventions, swimming fins! 

Professor Pomeroy, a Distinguished Professor of Classics and History Emerita at the City University of New York, is an accomplished author of numerous books, articles, and reviews on the topic of Women in Antiquity, including the classic Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. She has won many awards, including the Ford Foundation Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and a Mellon Foundation Fellowship. Her pioneering work has been instrumental in our understanding of women in history.

Lynn Sherr is an award-winning broadcaster and author who spent more than thirty years at ABC News. She reported on the NASA space shuttle program from its inception in 1981 through the Challenger explosion in 1986. Sherr’s numerous awards include an Emmy, two American Women in Radio and Television Commendation awards, a Gracie Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award. Her books include Swim, Outside the Box, and America the Beautiful, among others.

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Franklin’s Young Inventors: ‘Give me a second’ with Andrew Hanson

Tuesday 23 March, 4.30pm GMT. Register here for this 30-minute virtual class.

Franklin’s Young Inventors is our weekly science club for aspiring scientists in Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14). This week we’re delighted to welcome special guest Andrew Hanson who will show you how to make a time recording machine!

Andrew Hanson MBE is a scientist working at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) who make some of the most accurate clocks in the world. In this session you’ll create your very own time recording machine inspired partly by Franklin’s three-wheeled clock design.

To join in with the (optional though recommended) inventing bit – you will need:

  • A ruler or measuring tape
  • A 50cm length of string
  • A rod (e.g. pencil or chopstick), to hang the string from
  • A clip or peg to make easy adjustments of string on rod
  • A weight (bob) e.g. holed stone or Lego
  • A timer (e.g. stopwatch on phone or tablet)
  • Paper and pencil to record result

Please note only adults can register on behalf of children, adult supervision is required for the practical experiment. By registering, participants agree to follow our Online Safety Agreement. For more information, contact our Education Manager.

Funding for Franklin’s Young Inventors has generously been provided by the United States Government and the DAR Walter Hines Page Chapter.

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Ben’s Book Club Family Edition: ‘A Ben of All Trades’ by Michael J. Rosen

Wednesday August 18th 2021, 5pm BST/12pm EDT. Register here. 

Join us for the August installment of Ben’s Book Club, a monthly virtual gathering looking at themes relating to Benjamin Franklin, the 18th century, and American history. 

In this month’s special family edition of Ben’s Book Club, we will be talking to Michael J. Rosen about his book, ‘A Ben of All Trades: The Most Inventive Boyhood of Benjamin Franklin’. This rousing biography, illustrated by Matt Tavares, reveals how Benjamin Franklin’s boyhood shaped his amazingly multifaceted life. 

Young Benjamin Franklin wants to be a sailor, but his father won’t hear of it. The other trades he tries — candle maker, joiner, boot closer, turner — bore him through and through. Curious and inventive, Ben prefers to read, swim, fly his kite, and fly his kite while swimming. But each time he fails to find a profession, he takes some important bit of knowledge with him. That tendency is exactly what leads him to become the astonishingly versatile genius we remember today.  

Inspired by The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Michael J. Rosen’s wry tale captures Ben’s spirit in evocative yet playful language, while illustrations by Matt Tavares follow Ben from the workbench to the water in vivid detail. A love story to the value of variety, ‘A Ben of All Trades’ sheds light on an unconventional path to greatness and humanizes a towering figure in American history. 

Michael J. Rosen is the creator of a wide variety of more than 150 books for both adults and young readers. He is a poet, editor, writer of fiction and non-fiction, humorist, illustrator, ceramic artist, and playwright…and companion animal to a cattle dog named Chant.  

You can purchase a hardcopy or audio book of ‘A Ben of All Trades’ here.  

Join us even if you don’t have a chance to read the book by the event date! 

This event is free of charge but please consider making an online donation here to support the work of Benjamin Franklin House. 

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Live History Class for Kids: Discover the Georgian Home with John Wesley’s House

For this special half term edition of our Live History Class series, we’re delighted to welcome Gemma Smith to transport us back to Georgian times with a virtual tour of John Wesley’s House!

John Wesley was a contemporary of Ben Franklin, he lived on City Road in London in a house very much like 36 Craven Street! Join Gemma, the Learning & Community Engagement Officer from John Wesley’s House, as we go on a virtual tour of the House to see how Georgian Londoners like Ben and John lived. You’ll then use the tour as inspiration to create your own mini Georgian townhouse.

Activity materials: cereal box/ shoe box, colouring pens/ pencils, glue/ tape, scissors, paper

Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (US Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!

Please note that the session will be recorded. By registering, participants agree to follow our Online Safety Agreement. For more information, contact our Education Manager

Watch the class below:

 

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Live History Class for Kids: Crime and Punishment

Thursday 25 March 2021, 3pm GMT/10am ET. Register here.

Join our virtual history classes on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 3pm GMT to learn about key aspects of the Georgian period, when Benjamin Franklin was living in London. Together we will uncover the past and develop historical skills!

Since the Metropolitan Police Force was not established until 1829, law enforcement functioned very differently in the Georgian era. We’ll learn all about common crimes and gruesome punishments before trying some writing to help us identify with people from the past.

Activity materials: paper, pencil/pen

Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (US Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!

For more information, contact our Education Manager

Watch the class below:

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Live History Class for Kids: Georgian Fun and Games

Thursday 11 March 2021, 3pm GMT/10am ET. Register here.

Join our virtual history classes on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 3pm GMT to learn about key aspects of the Georgian period, when Benjamin Franklin was living in London. Together we will uncover the past and develop historical skills!

In this class, we’ll find out how the Georgians kept themselves amused – from visits to the theatre and pleasure gardens to sports and other games! Then we’ll learn how to make our own simple cup and ball game, a favourite amongst children during the Georgian era.

Activity materials: paper/Styrofoam cup, paper straw, string, tin foil, tape

Most Suitable for KS2 and KS3 (US Grades 2-8) but all ages welcome!

For more information, contact our Education Manager.

Watch the class below: