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Live Science Class: Ben Franklin’s Long Arm

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.

Have you heard of Ben Franklin’s long arm? He used this invention to reach books on high shelves. Learn how Ben drew on his knowledge of forces to invent this handy device and create your own to use at home!

Activity Materials: cardboard, 4 split pins, 1 rubber band, string, scissors, tape, ruler, pencil

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS2: Forces (Y3, Y5)

KS3: Forces

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

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the full class and demonstration:

How to make a long arm:

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Live Science Class: Ben Franklin and Storm Clouds

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.

One evening in 1743, storm clouds blocked Ben Franklin’s view of a lunar eclipse. This led him to find out more about how they move across the sky. Learn how storms work and the role they play in the water cycle before making your own rainstorm in a jar!

Activity Materials: 1 glass jar (e.g. empty jam jar), 1 jug of water, shaving foam, blue food colouring, pipette (optional)

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS2: States of Matter (Y4, Y5)

KS3: Matter – Physical Changes

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

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the full class and demonstration:

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Live Science Class for Kids: Ben Franklin and the Northern Lights

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.

Did you know that Ben Franklin observed and wrote about the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis? Uncover the science behind these magnificent colours in the sky and create a simple telescope to carry out sky gazing of your own!

Activity Materials: 2 cardboard tubes (e.g. from kitchen roll), 1 split pin, tape, scissors, ruler, pencil

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!

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the full class and demonstration:

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‘Changing the World’ Writing Resources for KS2-3: Webinar for Teachers and Home Educators

In collaboration with Newington Green Meeting House and The Museum of Methodism & John Wesley’s House, we have created digital resources for Ks2-3 (Us Grades 4-8) to inspire their writing. All of our unique historical sites are about making the world a better place and celebrating people that championed these changes.

The webinar below was recorded on 20 May 2020 to introduce teachers and home educators to the resources created by each site and how to use them with students.

You can download the Benjamin Franklin House resources here

You can download the Newington Green Meeting House resources here

You can download The Museum of Methodism and John Wesley’s House resources here

Please don’t hesitate to contact our Education Manager if you have any questions about the webinar or resources.

 

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Virtual Talks Available Online!

Virtual Talks on demand

All past virtual talks are available on our YouTube channel here. Find playlists of themed talks below:

Upcoming Virtual Events 

Follow us on social media to hear about upcoming events! Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Ben’s Book Club: ‘Incomparable World’ by S I Martin

Tuesday 26 October 2021, 5pm UK/12pm ET. Register to watch the livestream here

This month S I Martin will do a reading and discuss his book Incomparable World which reimagines 1780s London, showcasing the untold stories of African-American soldiers grappling with their post-war freedom. Bursting with energy and vivid detail, Incomparable World boldly uncovers a long-buried narrative of black Britain.

Limited tickets will be available to attend in person at Benjamin Franklin House. Buy tickets to attend here.  Drink Included! 

 

Ben’s Book Club: ‘The Cabinet’ by Dr Lindsay M. Chervinsky

Wednesday 3 November, 12pm ET/5pm GMT. Register here 

Headshot of author Dr Lindsay M Chervinsky, smiling at the camera and the cover of her book The Cabinet

Dr Chervinsky, Senior Fellow at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, and Professorial Lecturer at the School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University, will discuss her book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution, which reveals how George Washington created one of the most powerful bodies in the federal government.  

 

Robert H Smith Lecture in American Democracy: Justin Webb

Monday 8 November 2020, 5pm GMT/12pm ET 

Our annual Robert H Smith Lecture in American Democracy will once again be held in partnership with the LSE Department of Government. This year, the lecture will be on the theme of “Is American Democracy Under Threat?” with journalist Justin Webb. 

 

Book Launch: ‘Washington at the Plow’ by Bruce A. Ragsdale

Tuesday 23 November, 1pm ET/6pm GMT

Tom McCall Photography

Bruce A. Ragsdale will discuss his book, Washington at the Plow: The Founding Farmer and the Question of Slavery which depicts the “first farmer of America” as a leading practitioner of the New Husbandry, a transatlantic movement that spearheaded advancements in crop rotation.

Register here to attend virtually or here to attend in person. Drink included!

 

Ben’s Book Club: ‘Running from Bondage’ by Karen Cook-Bell

Wednesday 15 December, 12pm ET/5pm GMT. Register here

Karen Cook-Bell, Associate Professor of History at Bowie State University, will discuss her book, Running from Bondage, recounting the important stories of enslaved women, who comprised one-third of all runaways, and the ways in which they fled, or attempted to flee, bondage during and after the Revolutionary War.

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Live Science Class for Kids: Ben Franklin and the Gulf Stream

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.

Did you know that Ben Franklin crossed the Atlantic 8 times in his life? He kept busy on these long journeys by charting the Gulf Stream. Learn more about this ocean current and why it is so important to our climate today, developing an understanding of Sustainable Development Goal 13: climate action and Sustainable Development Goal 14: life below water. Create your own convection current at home!

Activity materials: 1 empty spice jar, food colouring, 1 large plastic container, kettle, water, ice (optional)

Safety Notice! Make sure an adult boils the kettle and pours the hot water

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS3: Energy changes and transfers

Most Suitable for KS3 (US Grades 6-8) but all ages welcome!

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the full class and demonstration below:

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Live Science Class for Kids: Ben Franklin’s Swim Fins

Replica swim fins on display at the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia, part of Independence National Historical Park

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.

Did you know that Ben Franklin was a keen swimmer as a young man? Learn how he used his knowledge of water and air dynamics to create devices to help him swim more quickly. Build on this understanding to create paper boats and race them!

Activity materials: paper, straws, tape, scissors, large plastic container/ bath tub/ paddling pool

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS2: Forces (Y3, Y5)

KS3: Forces

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

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the full class and demonstration:

You can download ‘how to make a paper boat’ visual instructions here 

How to make a paper boat

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Live Science Class for Kids: Ben Franklin’s Fuel-efficient Stove

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.

Did you know Ben Franklin was an environmentalist ahead of his time? Ben discouraged waste and even designed a special stove to save fuel. Learn how we are following in his footsteps today by developing renewable energy sources and working towards Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable and clean energy. Create your own anemometer to measure wind speed!

Activity materials: 5 paper cups, 2 straws, 1 pencil with a rubber, 1 push pin, 1 hole punch

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS3: Energy

Most Suitable for KS3 (US Grades 6-8) but all ages welcome!

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the full class and demonstration:

How to make an anemometer:

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Live Science Class for Kids: Ben Franklin’s Bifocals

Join our series of weekly virtual classes to learn how Ben Franklin’s inventions and scientific discoveries can illuminate the national curriculum! You can recreate all the featured science demonstrations at home using household materials.

Have you ever wondered how glasses work? Learn how light helps us to see and how Ben made one of the first pairs of bifocal glasses. Use the science of refraction to carry out magic tricks!

Activity materials: 1 glass or jar filled with water, 2 pieces of paper, felt tip pens

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS2: Light (Y3, Y6)

KS3: Light Waves

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

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the class and demonstration below:

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Live Science Class for Kids: Ben Franklin’s Glass Armonica

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.

Did you know that Ben Franklin invented a musical instrument called the glass armonica? Uncover his process of invention and how he harnessed the science of sound to play mesmerising music. Try making your own music with glasses and by creating a musical instrument!

Activity materials: 3 glasses, 1 jug of water, 1 spoon, 1 small plastic container/ cardboard box (e.g. and empty tissues box), rubber bands, 1 cardboard tube (optional)

Links to the Science Curriculum:

KS2: Sound (Y4)

KS3: Sound Waves

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

If you have any questions, please contact education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

Watch the class and demonstration below: