School Visits
All our activities are suitable for students in Key Stages 3 & 4. All can be adapted to suit individual needs and requirements.
We also work with schools to offer bespoke days. For further details please call our Access & Learning team on 01902 376 241.
Protect and Survive
This workshop is a practical lesson based on the government leaflet, Protect and Survive, which was sent out to all households in the UK in response to the perceived threat of nuclear attacks during the Cold War. Learners will build the government recommended fallout shelter and make their choice as to which essential items are needed for a 14 day survival period.
Learners will have the opportunity to look at and try on some of the equipment issued to the RAF at the time. Wearing a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) suit, they will be asked to complete a mini task which will help them understand the difficulties of working whist dressed in this protective clothing.
The final element of the workshop is designed to allow learners to understand the extent of devastation a nuclear warhead would have caused, by plotting the fallout zones on locations around the UK.
Activity type: Led by museum staff
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost: £30 per session (maximum 30 per group)
Timetables for a complete museum visit are provided
Cold War: National Service
Many of the UK military personnel who were involved in the Cold War were National Service recruits. This session gives a flavour of what life was like as a recruit. During the course of the session, learners will find themselves following orders, maintaining their kit and taking part in a parade square drill.
Activity type: Led by museum staff
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost: £30 per session (maximum 30 per group)
Timetables for a complete museum visit are provided
Cold War: Timeline
This session enables learners to handle various cultural artefacts from the Cold War period. These illustrate the changing face of popular British culture over the past 50 years, taking in popular figures like Doctor Who and looking at important events, like the introduction of Cheese and Onion crisps! Following an introductory discussion the learners will need to decide in which decade these items first appeared, often with surprising results.
Activity type: Led by museum staff
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost: £10 per session (maximum 30 per group)
Timetables for a complete museum visit are provided
Cold War: Lost in Space
For 12 daysin October 1962, America and the Soviet Union stood on the brink of Nuclear Warduring the Cuban Missile CrisisThis workshop poses the question 'what If?' imagining that the crisis had escalated to the point ofconflict. What follows is a role play activity where the learners need to make life and death decisions. Twelve people from a group of thirty need to be selected to start a new colony on the far side of the Galaxy, using one of NASA's new Saturn 1 rockets. Who will go? The learners take on the role of an individual and then have to present their case for inclusion.
Further details:Please note,no previous knowledge of the Cuban missile crisis is needed to enjoy this workshop.
Activity type: Led by museum staff
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost: £30 per session (maximum 30 per group)
Timetables for a complete museum visit are provided
Cold War: Meet the Veterans
A presentation followed by a question and answer session with personnel who experienced the Cold War at first hand.
Activity type: Led by museum staff
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
Cost: £25 per session (maximum 30 per group)
Timetables for a complete museum visit are provided
