Home School Group Visits
Are you a member of, or represent, a Home School Group that would like to visit Benjamin Franklin House? We now offer bookings specifically tailored for Home Schooled children! Visits to the House follow the same structure as our Primary School offer. Read all about our programme below…
Our award winning education days take place on Tuesdays in the House’s Student Science Centre. Visits support the National Curriculum in history, science, English, design and technology, mathematics and citizenship; an overview can be found here.
Based on the London life and work of Benjamin Franklin, we provide hands-on activities that capture children’s imaginations. On a visit to the House children will:
- See the Children’s Historical Experience, an interactive walk through the historic rooms of the House accompanied by Polly, the daughter of Franklin’s landlady enriched through our vibrant Franklin Illuminations projected onto the walls
- Visit the Medical History Room with its emphasis on the pioneering science of Dr. William Hewson, Polly’s husband, who ran an anatomy school at 36 Craven Street
- Be challenged to identify various Craven Street-related objects in the Discovery Room with fun computer games
- Observe a live science demonstration. Choose from:
- The True Nature of Lightning (Electricity) – Using our Wimshurst Machine and Van Der Graaf Generator, we conduct some hair raising experiments with static electricity before recreating Franklin’s most famous experiment – flying a kite into a thunderstorm. Students will have their classroom learning supported by our Tesla Coil demonstration which highlights the dramatic power of lighting.
- Inventing the Armonica (Sound) – At 36 Craven Street, Benjamin Franklin invented the Glass Armonica – an instrument that innovated playing wine glasses. Pupils will learn about where sound comes from, how it is made and how it can travel. The class will then each get an opportunity to play our replica Glass Armonica and explain why various notes can be produced.
- Investigating Canals (Forces) – Pupils will learn about Benjamin Franklin’s visits to Europe, where he carried out various experiments involving water resistance and canals. We shall recreate his experiments with canal depths to determine the forces at play that allow boats to move faster or slow in water.
- The True Nature of Lightning (Electricity) – Using our Wimshurst Machine and Van Der Graaf Generator, we conduct some hair raising experiments with static electricity before recreating Franklin’s most famous experiment – flying a kite into a thunderstorm. Students will have their classroom learning supported by our Tesla Coil demonstration which highlights the dramatic power of lighting.
Although particularly relevant to Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 11), a visit can be tailored for Key Stage 1, providing curriculum enrichment opportunities for students with a wide variety of interests.
Sessions run each Tuesday from 10.30am-12pm or 12:30-2.00pm with a maximum of 30 students per session.
Please note that for Home School Groups there is a minimum number of 15 attendees (including adults) required for a booking.
For more or information, please contact the Education Manager or download our Teacher’s Pack 2023-24.
