Outreach (School Workshops)

If your school, class or group is unable to attend a visit to Benjamin Franklin House, fear not! Benjamin Franklin House can visit YOU!

Our fantastic Outreach Programme offers in-school and virtual alternatives to our main onsite offering here at 36 Craven Street. Our Education Manager offers a variety of sessions for KS1-2 students, all of which are FREE of charge!

The Programme is generously supported by funds from the Daughters of the American Revolution Walter Hines Page Chapter (DAR). Their support helps to ensure that all of our Outreach workshops are free for schools.

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For schools located in London Zones 1-6;

If you are unable to visit, but located in London, our Education Manager can travel to your school/group as part of our Outreach Programme. In-school visits will introduce students to Benjamin Franklin, 36 Craven Street, Georgian England and 18th Century Science.

FREE  Science Workshops (Suitable for Years 3-6)

We offer three 60min workshops that we bring to schools. Each workshop is tied to a different topic in the KS2 Science curriculum. All sessions begin with a short presentation followed by a small investigation/experiment for pupils to carry out in class. The workshops on offer are;

Electricity – Pupils learn about how Benjamin Franklin became known as the Newton of Electricity and his famous Key and Kite experiment. The class will then be able to conduct some electrical experiments themselves using balloons to create, observe and demonstrate the effects of static electricity.

The Human Body – Pupils learn about the history of the bones that were discovered in the Benjamin Franklin House basement and their role in the history of medicine. Pupils will focus on the human skeleton to successfully identify the major bones of the body. To consolidate their learning, each pupil will then create their own diagram diagram using cotton swaps and lots of glue!

Forces – Pupils learn about push/pull forces as well as Benjamin Franklin’s experiments with water and air resistance that he conducted in the English Lake District and the canals of Holland. They will also learn about his experience of witnessing the first ever manned hot air balloon flight take place in 18th century Paris. For their experiment, pupils will craft parachutes and test the effects of air resistance on the other push/pull forces in action.

All materials will be provided by Benjamin Franklin House.

Classroom visit timings; 60mins per session.

Visits can be booked for Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays in term time.

Up to 30 pupils per session.

If you would like to book a free in-school visit, please complete our Outreach Visit Booking Form.

Alternatively please email – education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

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We also offer more creative workshops for pupils that explore subjects including History, Art and Design & Technology. These are most suitable for (Years 1-4).

You can select the theme of the visit from our list of workshops below;

• Inside Benjamin Franklin’s House – Pupils explore Georgian architecture, history and culture as they create their very own Georgian townhouses in the style of Benjamin Franklin House.
• Become an Inventor –  Pupils explore the various inventions and innovations of Benjamin Franklin before being invited to follow in his footsteps and create blueprints for their very own.
• Look at Me! – Pupils explore the art or Georgian portraiture with an introduction to some exciting Art History skills before creating a portrait/collage of themselves.
• NEW for 2024: A Day in the Life of Benjamin Franklin – This session explores what life was really like in the 18th century. Using Franklin’s letters, we will piece together his daily routine, what he ate, where he went on holiday, and the entertainment London had to offer over 250 years ago! The pupils will then write their own letters in the style of Franklin describing an exciting day out in Georgian London.

Classroom visit timings; 60-90mins per session.

Up to 30 pupils per session.

If you would like to book a free in-school visit, please complete our Outreach Visit Booking Form.

Alternatively please email – education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org

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For schools located outside of London or the UK:

We also offer virtual visits from our Education Manager via Zoom, Teams, or GoogleMeet!

These sessions include a virtual tour of the House and can have the following science demonstrations;

• The True Nature of Lightning – Recreating Franklin’s experiments with electricity using a Tesla Coil and a miniature kite and key!
• Inventing the Armonica – An exploration into the topic of Sound as well as the musical instrument he created here at 36 Craven Street, the Glass Armonica!

We also run a purely History focused session;

• NEW for 2024: A Day in the Life of Benjamin Franklin – This presentation will explore what life was really like in London during the 18th century. Using Franklin’s letter, we will piece together his daily routine, what he ate, where he went on holiday, and the entertainment London had to offer over 250 years ago!

Virtual offer timings; 30-45mins per session.

Format; Available via Zoom, Teams or Google Meet.

If you would like to book a free virtual visit, please complete our Virtual Visit Booking Form.

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Our outstanding Outreach Programme is generously supported by funds from the Daughters of the American Revolution Walter Hines Page Chapter (DAR). Their support helps to ensure that all of our Outreach workshops are free for schools – it also allows us to supply all materials needed for each session.

For more information, or to book, please contact our Education Manager.