Learning Services

“The Beacon Museum offers a full range of Learning services and activities for all ages!”

Booking Form
Downloadable Risk Assessment Form

Activity sessions

Explore the past – Stone Age to Iron Age

Step back in time and discover how early humans lived, learn about human evolution from primitive Homo sapiens through to our Iron Age ancestors.

Norse Settlers

New for 2018

Discover where the Vikings came from and what they looked like? Explore how they navigated across the seas, how they lived and what happened to them?

Toys - old and new (KS1)

Find out about toys from the past and how they differ to those played with today. The activity session involves discovering and looking at a wide range of fascinating Victorian toys and how they compare with toys from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s through to modern toys.

Wish you were here: A day at the Victorian seaside (KS1)

Let us take you on a journey to learn what a trip to the seaside was like for the Victorians! How have holidays changed?

Keep the home fires burning: World War II (KS2)

What would life be like for the people of Copeland during World War II? Find out about rationing, air raids, gas masks, fun and games.

The Romans are coming (KS2)

Beacon staff bring the sights, sounds and smells of ancient Rome into schools. Togas, original artefacts and some very fishy smells will bring the life and times of the Romans alive in your classroom.

Roman armour

Step back in time and discover how early humans lived, learn about human evolution from primitive Homo sapiens through to our Iron Age ancestors.

Washday blues (KS1)

Washday Blues is a hands-on activity session taking children back to the harsh realities of daily life in the Victorian times.

Time detectives

Go back in time and explore the 19th Century Industrial Whitehaven. Learn what life was like for the working class and find out how they survived without electricity or sanitation.

Loan Boxes

Loan boxes are available for teachers to use the class room. They contain a mixture of real and replica artefacts, a list of the contents and interpretation notes. They come in durable plastic boxes for easy transportation and storage. The boxes are available for loan periods of one week at a charge of £20.00 per week. (with the exception of the Viking loan box which is £25) Please phone or use the enclosed booking form to book your box.

Coal Mining
  • Stephenson Miner’s Lamp
  • Gray’s Oil Miner’s Lamp
  • Miner’s electric lamp
  • Lamp tallies x 3
  • Cap lamp and battery
  • Bait tin
  • Metal water bottle
  • Coal tub tag
  • Explosives detonator
  • Fuse lead
  • Brass sieve
  • Haig Pit laundry bag safety pin.

Plus information pack.

Viking times
  • Birka Cross
  • Runes
  • Strike-a-light
  • Blowing horn
  • Glass beads
  • Bronze key
  • Viking tunic
  • Viking woman’s costume
  • Viking man’s costume
  • Antler porridge spoon
  • Piece of antler
  • Bone toggles
  • Drinking cup
  • Mammon axe
  • Viking coins and bag
  • Whetstone
  • Viking games
  • Pottery bowl
  • Various pieces of Viking jewellery

Plus more objects, books, CD, DVD, information for each object and resource pack.

Victorian toys
  • Spinning top
  • Skipping rope
  • Cup and ball
  • Pick up sticks
  • Yo-yo
  • Diablo
  • Jacks
  • Whip and top
  • Acrobat swing toy
  • Monkey swing toy
  • Hoopla
  • Happy families
  • Hobby horse
  • Tumbling man
  • Jacob’s ladder
  • Flick books
  • Pecking chickens
  • Pop gun
  • Cord pull spinning top

Plus suggestions for Victorian Parlour games and other activities.

Victorian school room
  • 6 x replica writing slates
  • 4 x Victorian copyboards (to be photocopied)
  • 11 x dip pens
  • Ink well
  • 2 x Victorian history book facsimiles
  • Victorian school day – teacher’s manual
  • Victorian school day – activities pack (to be photocopied)
The Egyptians
  • Egyptian game
  • Replica necklace
  • Anubis figure
  • Scribe statue
  • Cat ‘Bastet’ figure
  • Ushabti writing box
  • Mini canopic jars
  • Hieroglyphs info and poster
Seaside
  • Tin bucket
  • Wooden spade
  • Edwardian boys bathing costume
  • Victorian girls bathing costume
  • Penny Lick
  • Parasol
  • Punch and Judy puppets
  • Mechanical tin carousel
  • Lighthouse model
  • Lifeboat model
  • Fishing net
  • Shells
  • Driftwood
  • Starfish

Plus object information, resource pack, posters and memorabilia.

Victorian artefacts
  • Flat iron
  • Candle stick and snuffer
  • Dress clip
  • Butter pats
  • clay marbles
  • Original whip and top
  • Clog
  • Button hook
  • Glass bottle
  • Miner’s lamp
  • Clothes pegs
  • Stone hot water bottle
  • Original school slate

Information pack containing information for each object, Victorian adverts, photographs, punch cartoons, timeline, census extracts for Copeland and reports on public health.

Victorian dressing up box
  • Top hats
  • Lady’s parasol
  • Parlour maid outfit (dress, apron, mob cap)
  • Girl’s school pinafore apron and mob cap
  • Boy’s sailor suit (smock, trousers and hat)
  • Working class boy’s outfit (shirt, waistcoat, trousers, scarf and cap)
  • Ladies Victorian dress (red velvet set including bonnet, dress, jacket and pretend bustle)
The Romans
  • Wine jug
  • Roman cup
  • Beaker
  • Face pot
  • Sauce pot
  • Mortarium
  • Gladiator beaker
  • Leather ball
  • Chatelaine
  • Knucklebones game
  • Coins & pouch
  • Sponge on a stick
  • Board games
  • Writing tablet
  • Lamp
  • Jewellery
  • Toy horse
  • Feely bags
Geology rocks!
  • Scales
  • 6 x magnifying glasses
  • 5 x pipettes
  • 12 x jumbo tweezers
  • Tooth fossil in slate
  • Stem root fossil
  • Sandstone
  • Quartz
  • Coal
  • Slate
  • Chalk
  • Granite
  • Limestone
  • Pumice
  • Marble

Contact The Beacon’s Learning Officer for availability.

Alan Gillon – Learning Officer alan.gillon@copeland.gov.uk

Phone – 01946 592302

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