Meet the Staffordshire Lion and get hands on with historical objects, dressing up and crafts. Learn about symbolism and the importance of teamwork! Each child finishes the session by crafting their own personalised Coat of Arms to take back to school with them.

This session can be booked as a half day (the workshop and gallery exploration) or as a full day (the workshop, gallery exploration, time for packed lunches and an interactive walking tour of Stafford town centre). The half day is priced at £4.50 per pupil, the full day is £7.50 per pupil.

Curriculum links: castles, monarchy and family trees, with cross-curricular discussions of identity and self-expression.

This tactile, sensory adventure follows Mary the Mole, as she digs down to find natural treasures, human-made objects and the raw materials which have formed Staffordshire. Get your hands messy and handle real raw materials and historical objects!

The storytime concludes with a recap game and sensory craft. This session can be booked as a half day (the workshop and gallery exploration) or as a full day (the workshop, gallery exploration, time for packed lunches and an interactive walking tour of Stafford town centre). The half day is priced at £4.50 per pupil, the full day is £7.50 per pupil.

Curriculum links: the natural world and the environment, chronological history, rocks and minerals with cross-curricular discussions of environmental responsibility and discovery.

Enjoy the traditional fairy tale through handling historical objects, dressing up, roleplay and rhyme! Your class must help the elves craft fashionable footwear and learn about Stafford’s history of shoemaking. Includes tactile experiences, historical photos and an important lesson about helping friends.

The storytime concludes with a recap game and sensory craft. This session can be booked as a half day (the workshop and gallery exploration) or as a full day (the workshop, gallery exploration, time for packed lunches and an interactive walking tour of Stafford town centre). The half day is priced at £4.50 per pupil, the full day is £7.50 per pupil.

Curriculum links: local history, narrative storytelling and fairy tales, co-operative movement and rhyme

Discover the weird, wonderful and gruesome events which make up Stafford’s storied past! Enjoy dressing up and handling artefacts and build an interactive chronological timeline, tracing 900 years of hyper local history. Please note the KS1 and KS2 sessions have differing approaches to vocabulary and chronology exploration, tailored to the age groups.

This full day session includes the interactive workshop, gallery exploration and activities, a break for lunch and a guided walking tour of Stafford town centre. Retrace an ancient map through the town’s streets and re-enact some of its most horrible histories! The full day of activities is priced at £7.50 per pupil.

Curriculum links: local history, Stafford High Street, maps, primary sources, secondary sources, monarchy, Tudors, Anglo Saxons, WW1 and WW2

Compare old and new toys, meet real historical toys and learn about Victorian class differences through interactive play. Paper toys have the spotlight in this session: get messy and recycle your own paper and get hands on with a variety of paper toy projects.

This full day session will include craft workshops, gallery exploration and activities, a break for lunch and a guided storytime session with take home crafts.

Please note that this session is still under development. Contact [email protected] to get involved in coproduction!

Explore the raw materials which made this county a centre of global commerce and meet the people who turned the wheels of progress: for better and for worse! This action-packed workshop involves roleplay, dressing up, sensory experiences and a chance to get hands on with real historical objects. Discover the grim realities of working life in historical Staffordshire and unionise against the nefarious Mr Moneybags!

This session can be booked as a half day (the workshop and gallery exploration) or as a full day (the workshop, gallery exploration, time for packed lunches and an interactive walking tour of Stafford town centre). The half day is priced at £4.50 per pupil, the full day is £7.50 per pupil.

Curriculum links: local history, the Industrial Revolution, maps, primary sources, secondary sources, canals and trains, with broader cross-curricular links to geology and geography.

Travel through time using historical prison photography, maps and century old documents and explore the grim realities of the justice system. Handle authentic historical documents, grapple with old handwriting and compare sources to uncover the real lived experiences of the Staffordshire people who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

This full day session will involve storytelling, research activities, drama techniques and a walking tour of Stafford.

Please note that this session is still under development.

Contact [email protected] to get involved in coproduction!

Get hands on with historical documents, take an exclusive behind the scenes tour and complete palaeography tasks using real collection documents. Use primary sources to devise your own walking tour of Stafford town centre and engage with the collection to pursue your own interests!

This workshop can be combined with tailored gallery exploration and a walking tour of historical Stafford. The half day is priced at £4.50 per student, the full day is priced at £7.50 per student.

Curriculum links: primary and secondary sources, palaeography, conservation of documents, a rare opportunity to handle original documents and experience archival research before studying history at university.