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!

BOOKINGS FOR OUR SCHOOL WORKSHOPS HAVE CLOSED AND WILL RE-OPEN IN EARLY 2025.

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 Franklin’s advancements in the field of Science and his work on Electricity, including his famous Key and Kite experiment. The class will then conduct their very own experiments 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 of the human skeleton to take home or go on display in the classroom!

Forces – This workshop serves as either a great introduction to the topic of Forces, or an excellent consolidation session that covers all key areas of the topic. The class will learn about Franklin’s contributions to science as well as those by his contemporaries such as Sir Isaac Newton. They will also learn about Franklin’s work on water and air resistance and hear about his experience witnessing the first ever manned hot air balloon flight take place in the late-18th century. The session ends with crafting some parachutes to 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.

BOOKINGS FOR OUR SCHOOL WORKSHOPS HAVE CLOSED AND WILL RE-OPEN IN EARLY 2025.

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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.
• 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.

BOOKINGS FOR OUR SCHOOL WORKSHOPS HAVE CLOSED AND WILL RE-OPEN IN EARLY 2025.

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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;

• 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.

BOOKINGS FOR OUR SCHOOL WORKSHOPS HAVE CLOSED AND WILL RE-OPEN IN EARLY 2025.

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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.