Home educators are welcome at the museum every day. To support them, we offer reduced day entry to the museum at a rate of £6.50 per head. This is applicable on weekdays during term time. Children under 5 are free of charge, as are those who are classed as carers. For more information and to book, please email bookings@beamish.org.uk.
In addition, Home educators are welcome to book any of our Learning Activities. You may wish to organise a group to visit and take part in one of these activities. Please see the choices here: https://www.beamish.org.uk/learning/learning-activities/
Home Educators’ Days
The museum’s Learning Team has launched a series of dedicated Home Educators’ Days with learning activities and workshops aimed at children who are home educated.
The next Home Educators’ day will be held on Tuesday, 5th December 2023. During the day, visitors can take part in a number of free, drop in workshops (admission fee applies) and book a selection of workshops.
Free workshops*
Elf Trail (all day)
Spot the elves on our Christmas Elf Trail. Pick up a trail at the Entrance and see if you can spot them all as you visit the museum.
Paper Chain Making (all day)
Pop into the farmhouse at The 1940s Farm and help decorate the farm for Christmas.
Christmas Crafts (all day)
Head to the welfare hall in The 1950s Town to have a go at making a Christmas pudding pompom to hang on your tree.
*Admission fee applies. The above activities are included in admission price and do not require pre-booking.
Learning Activities
Traditions of Christmas (11am or 1pm. Suitable for ages 4 to 7)
Come and visit a household preparing for Christmas in a time when celebrations were simpler, gifts homemade and children hoped to find an orange and a handful of nuts in their stocking. £2.50 per child. Traditions of Christmas takes place at 1820s Pockerley Old Hall.
Christmas Victorian Lesson (11am, 1pm or 2.30pm. Suitable for ages 7+)
Experience a traditional lesson of reading, writing, arithmetic and drill. Children will sit in rows and use pen and ink to do their work. Smart, sensible and silent – they will be expected to behave as though they were Victorian pupils (although a degree of flexibility will be employed.) £2.50 per child. Christmas Victorian Lesson takes place in the school in The 1900s Pit Village.
Bah Humbug – The Problem of the Poor (11am or 2pm. Suitable for ages 9+)
This is an enquiry-based activity, linked to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Participants will discover there has been a death, overnight, of a pauper in The 1900s Town street. They will split into groups and interview five characters around The 1900s Town in turn. Each character will have a different point of view regarding the scenario and will quote parts of A Christmas Carol as they discuss what happened. They will also offer 19th century texts regarding the workings of the workhouse which will need to be read as they travel between the characters in order to make their arguments more persuasive. £2.50 per child. Bah Humbug begins in the Masonic Hall in The 1900s Town.
Meet Father Christmas (all ages. Subject to availability)
Meet Father Christmas in his cosy Grotto for a chat about Christmas, and receive a special early gift from him. £8 per child. If your child has additional needs and would prefer to attend a Quiet Santa session, please email helentalbot@beamish.org.uk. Subject to availability.
Booking Information
- Places for our Home Educators’ Day must be booked in advance.
- Use your Beamish Unlimited Pass or Friends of Beamish membership to visit free of charge. Additional costs apply to workshops as stated.
- If you don’t have a pass, a special day ticket (£6.50pp) is available for this Home Educators’ Day. Entry is free for under 5s.
- Workshops must be booked in advance. Parental supervision is required throughout the activities.
Book your visit for a fantastic festive day of learning during Beamish Museum’s Home Educators’ Day here.
Future Home Educators’ Days are planned for Wednesday, 17th April and September, 2024. Sign up for our Home Educators’ day mailing list here http://eepurl.com/ipdtOo.