Meet the real Cornish Giant, Antony Payne in this engaging workshop. Use his portrait and original artefacts to find out about his life. Discover more about legendary Cornish giants and make a giant group collage to take away.
Open today: 10:00am – 4:00pm
Learning
Learning at the Museum and Gallery is central to everything we do. Our hands-on museum workshops and artefact loans boxes are inspired by the superb collections and support learning right across the curriculum.
Educational visits that bring learning to life
Our experienced Learning team, many of whom are qualified teachers, offer an exciting programme of educational workshops for Key Stages One and Two linked to a wide range of Curriculum topics including Ancient Egypt, Greeks and Romans.
All workshops are £6.50 per pupil from 1st September 2025.
To cover museum costs, there is a minimum charge of £130 (or 20 pupils).
Browse our workshops below and get in touch for further information.
Ready to book?
Please email learning@cornwallmuseum.org with the details of which workshop you would like to book, the name of your school, how many pupils you’re booking for and your preferred dates. Please be aware that workshops book up 2 – 3 months in advance.
Alternatively, our loans boxes are a great resource for bringing history alive. All boxes come with a selection of resources and information to support their use in the classroom. Loans boxes are hired on a weekly basis from Saturday to Saturday for a charge of £25 a week. Please email learning@cornwallmuseum.org to book. Find out more here.
Home education
Monthly pre-bookable sessions for home education groups.
Once a month we offer a Home Education day. To book onto an available workshop, click here.
There are 15 child spaces available in the morning session (10am – 12 noon) – and another 15 child spaces in the afternoon session (1.30 – 3.30pm).
Sessions cost £6.50 per child and are suitable for those aged 5 – 15, those aged under 5 may attend if necessary but must be closely supervised by the accompanying adult.
We ask that just ONE adult attends with each family group. This is because of room capacity. Any additional adults are welcome to come to the museum, but they must purchase an annual pass and can’t join us for the workshop itself.
Cancellations can be made via your customer account. Cancellations made two weeks in advance will be fully refunded. After this time, no refunds will be given.
We will operate a waiting list, so if a session is showing as fully booked and you would like to be added, please email learning@cornwallmuseum.org.
Upcoming 2026 Sessions
With Mike Dymond:
- Monday 28th September: Ancient Egypt: Preparing for the Afterlife
- Friday 30th October: Bronze Age Beaker Pottery in Cornwall
- Wednesday 18th November: Palaeolithic Art
- Tuesday 15th December: Ancient Greek Theatre: The world of Euripides, Sophocles and Aeschylus
To book onto an available workshop, click here.
Explore our workshops
Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery’s workshops bring the curriculum to life and enhance learning with hands-on activities, leaving children with a clearer understanding of the past and its people.
We offer an exciting programme of educational workshops for Key Stages One and Two linked to a wide range of Curriculum topics including Ancient Egypt, Greeks and Romans. We also offer work experience to students, though capacity is limited.
All our workshops are suitable for pupils from Foundation to Key Stage 2 and can be adapted to suit home education groups.
Or, for a list of all available Loan Boxes, click here.
Cornish Giant, Fact or Fiction?
Old Toys
Explore toys and games from the past, enjoy the wonder of a Victorian magic lantern and make a replica toy to take away. This workshop links to the National Curriculum area ‘changes within living memory’.
Mrs Trevithick's Tale
Meet Mrs Trevithick and find out about her inventor husband. Our costumed interpreter will perform in role for the entirety of the workshop, encouraging pupils to handle and discuss artefacts, photographs and models. This workshop links with the National Curriculum ‘significant historical events, people and places in their own locality’ and ‘the lives of significant individuals in the past’ as well as the Key Stage 2 Local History topic.
Stone Age to the Iron Age – It’s a Material World.
Take a trip through 400,000 years, from the Early Stone Age right through to the Iron Age. Learn how the discovery of metals advanced technology. Explore the evolution of tools, food and homes and ultimately civilisation. Handle original and replica objects and take part in everyday Iron Age household tasks. This workshop links with the National Curriculum – ‘changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age’.
Ancient Egypt – Tales from the Tomb
Enjoy a visit to our Ancient Civilisations Gallery and discover why the gods were so important to the Ancient Egyptians. What will you take into the afterlife? Dig for clues in sand, identify original objects and learn more about mummification. This workshop links with the National Curriculum – ‘achievements of the earliest civilisations, Ancient Egypt’.
Ancient Greece – Going Potty!
Investigate ancient Greek pottery in this hands-on workshop. Find the clues to help you discover more about their beliefs, myths and legends. Make your own clay Greek pot to take away. Links with the National Curriculum – ‘Ancient Greece, a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world’.
Ancient Rome – Life in Magor Villa
Discover how the Romans influenced life in Britain. Make and decorate a Roman lamp from clay using our collection of Roman pottery lamps for inspiration. Links with National Curriculum – ‘the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain and the legacy of Roman culture on later periods in British history, including the present day’.
Rocks rock!
In this new and exciting STEM workshop, get hands on with real rocks and marvellous minerals, learning all about the rock cycle and how the granite under our feet here in Cornwall was formed. A perfect fit for the Year 3 / 4 science curriculum, this workshop will walk budding geologists through the formation of the three main types of rock and send them on a geological treasure hunt, before we make our own mini fossil samples to take back to school. With thanks to Cornish Lithium for funding the development of this workshop.
Schools Art Collection
The Schools Art Collection is a collection of artworks compiled by Cornwall Council for schools in Cornwall to use to engage children with quality works of art. The collection includes paintings, sculpture and works on paper. Since its conception in 1961, works from the collection can be loaned to schools or you can request an assembly, a one-off lesson or a museum-based workshop.
Origins of the Collection
The collection began in 1961, when the Council received an anonymous cash donation of £100 ‘to help primary school funds.’ It was decided to use the funds to enrich the education of Cornwall’s children through art. The council worked with a group of influential artists in Cornwall, including Dame Barbara Hepworth, to develop the collection over the subsequent years. Artworks were sometimes gifted by artists or sold to the Council for a minimal fee.
How can we use these artworks to supplement the curriculum?
Artworks can be used in many different areas of the curriculum. In art, pupils can use them to learn about different art styles, movements, and techniques. They are also useful for learning about the history of art, particularly local art movements in Cornwall. Landscape and seascape paintings can be used to represent different geographical elements such as different land, sea and coastline formations. Pupils could create responses to the artwork, whether this be through art, creative writing, music or drama.
View the Schools Art Collection Catalogue here and contact learning@cornwallmuseum.org to find out more.