We have access to – and expertise in – a wealth of local information and resources that will put a local slant on historical topics and spark children’s imaginations. Whether it’s holding a historical artefact that’s thousands of years old or looking at Victorian life in your village, we can bring your students face to face with life from the past.
Have a look at our workshops, handling boxes, resource packs and many more.
Workshops
Using historic documents, photos, maps, and archaeological artefacts we run workshops on a range of subjects, both in schools and at The Hive. It’s not just history facts for kids: we can also help with geography, science, English, drama, and more.
Our team has decades of specialist experience in Worcestershire’s history and heritage and are all experienced communicators. We have a range of options to suit all class sizes and budgets, so please get in touch to discuss ways we could help you.
Send us an email or call 01905 766352
What was life like in prehistoric Worcestershire? And how did life change throughout the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages? Using archaeological illustrations of sites we’ve uncovered, alongside real and replica artefacts, pupils will investigate the prehistory of Worcestershire and changing ways of life. Session can be expanded from 1.5 hours to 2 hours by having a go at whittling using flint flakes.
This workshop gives pupils a chance to handle real artefacts and explore what life was like in Roman times, with a focus on Worcestershire sites. Investigate Roman Worcester, Droitwich and Malvern through artefacts and reconstruction images, before comparing what life was like before and during the Roman era.
Handling boxes
These contain a mix of real and replica artefacts to bring an era alive. Most two week loans cost £25 with collection and return to The Hive in Worcester. Ice Age box is free to loan due to a National Lottery project.
Topics:
- Ice Age
- prehistory
- Romans
- medieval
Resource packs
To support learning in schools we have produced a number of historical resource packs. These can be accessed online free of charge.
This digital school pack covers market gardening in southeast Worcestershire, known as the Vale of Evesham. It has been designed for cross-curricular use – from exploring local and national history to design, food production and landscape change over time. Whilst it is primarily aimed at Key Stages 2-3, the digital resource pool can be used to create activities for any age group and subject.
Visit the Market Gardening School Resource Pack
The school resource pack was created as part of the Market Gardening Heritage project, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
- War Memorials (Key Stage 2 or 3)
- Worcestershire Home Front (Key Stage 2 or 3)
- Letters from the Front (Primarily Key Stage 4, but can be adapted)
We run two WWI workshop with schools – one on Letters from the Front, using letters from the archives to help children understand the experience of two local soldiers; and Home Front, where we use newspapers, photos and school log books to explore how the war affected children and schools. The Letters from the Front workshop has now been put online, with links to images, forms and the all important instructions, so teachers can use it in the classroom. Please follow this link
Aimed at Key Stage 3 studies of Rivers and Settlements, this geography module explores local archaeological evidence for the arrival of prehistoric communities into the Worcestershire region.
This Key Stage 2 resource pack studies medieval village and town life in 1570s Worcestershire, using historical documents relating to villagers and records of Elizabeth I’s royal visit to Worcester in 1573. The resource was commissioned by the Abberley Lives Project in 2014-15.
Please get in touch to discuss tailor-made resource packs. Our specialist team have years of experience creating curriculum-based resources that enable national topics to be taught with an engaging local slant. Take a look at our most recently commissioned pack: Lindridge & the Teme through Time.
Email explorethepast@worcestershire.gov.uk or call 01905 766352 for more information on what we can offer.
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
Please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help. Other heritage websites that may be of useful include: Old Historic Maps, British History Online, English Heritage’s Story of England, and the Young Archaeologists’ Club.
Testimonials
"Thank you so much for the amazing workshop today. The children and I really enjoyed it, and got so much out of it. Thank you." Year 5 teacher
"Thank you so much for your time today! …I was genuinely really impressed by both presentations, and personally really enjoyed the second one. It was so well crafted in terms of sequence, timing, and the resources were excellent." Secondary School & Sixth Form teacher
"Thank you so much for your visit. The children (and us grown-ups) really enjoyed it and certainly learnt a lot. We found our school WW2 log books and found out how war affected the children at our school." Primary School teacher
"It looked a fantastic resource. I think your department has done the communities of Lindridge and Eastham proud. Thank you for inviting me along to the launch, I thought the replica of the stone tool was inspirational!" Lindridge & the Teme Through Time educational resource pack