Schools - Foundation/KS1
Toys from the Past – hands on workshopRecommended maximum: 25 pupils (larger groups and extra activities by arrangement)
Duration: 1 - 1½ hours (depending on age)
Toys from the Past introduces looking at, comparing and discussing old toys from the past 100 years, including dolls, handmade wartime toys, different toys designed for boys and girls, and clockwork toys. How and why different materials have been employed in the production of toys is also explored. This is followed by an opportunity to try out and play with a selection of popular Victorian reproduction toys, such as Jacob’s Ladder, Cup-and-Ball and Pop Guns. Pupils are then introduced to other Victorian games and amusements, including the Thaumatrope, which was a scientific development that became a popular children’s toy. Everyone will have an opportunity to personalise and create their own working Thaumatrope from four available designs that they can take back to school with them. Groups are welcome to remain in the Victorian Inventions and Amusements gallery after the workshop for dressing up and interactive play.
How this workshop supports the National Curriculum
Investigating Portraits (a)
Suitable for years 1 and 2
Recommended maximum: 28 pupils (larger groups and extra activities by arrangement)
Duration: 1½ - 2 hours
Bodelwyddan Castle, the home of the National Portrait Gallery in Wales, offers the perfect location for learning about portraiture. In this session we look at British Victorian portraits and 20th century examples of Welsh portrait painting. Investigating Portraits is an artist-led workshop that introduces children to portraiture, including the reasons why portraits are painted, characterisation and the ways artists use non-verbal communication to tell us about the person in the picture. Children discuss their ideas and responses to the paintings, followed by a sketching activity. They will then develop a piece of their own artwork with its own imagined background story, inspired by what they have seen on their visit.
How this portrait workshop supports the National Curriculum
Meet Mrs Humphries – costumed tour
Suitable for Years 1 and 2
Recommended maximum: 32 pupils (larger groups and extra activities by arrangement)
Duration: 90 minutes
The year is 1850 and Mrs Humphries is Housekeeper at Bodelwyddan Castle. She is the most senior female servant and responsible for ensuring that the wishes of Sir John Hay Williams and his wife, Lady Sarah, are carried out to the letter by the servants she trains and manages. She is both loved and feared by her staff. Mrs Humphries knows all the ins and outs of life above and below stairs. Children participating in this actor-led tour divide into two groups, dress up in character and play the part of either the privileged guest of the Williams family or a servant arriving for their first day of work – all costumes are provided. Both groups take part in the tour together and discover how the household is run through stories and the opportunity to touch and try out some of the tools of their trade. This fascinating and enjoyable tour encourages children to experience for themselves some of the differences between the lives of the Victorian rich and poor – in the home, food, clothing, work and leisure, attitudes and ideas, and the roles of men, women and children.
How this workshop supports the National Curriculum
Landscapes and Your Environment (a)
Suitable for years 1 and 2
Recommended maximum: 28 pupils (larger groups and extra activities by arrangement)
Duration: 90 minutes - 2 hours
Inspired by our collection of Welsh art, this artist-led workshop introduces the idea of how a landscape can change over time and explores what events or activities can lead to those changes. Pupils have an opportunity to look at a range of Welsh landscape paintings, discussing as a group the different kinds of environments they can see. The discussion will continue to explore ideas of perspective and viewpoints, leading on to a sketching activity. This is followed by a creative activity in which pupils make an original piece of work in two or three dimensions based on a real or imagined landscape seen from an unusual viewpoint.
How this landscape workshop supports the National Curriculum