Ryedale Folk Museum has recently launched a revised programme of education activities to support teachers and pupils in their new history curriculum learning.

Sessions include taking children back to the Iron Age, which features on the history curriculum for the first time.

Ryedale Folk Museum has a long-standing tradition of providing learning opportunities for school and other groups. To tie-in with the start of the new academic year, the museum has refreshed its education offer and is now providing a range of learning activities for Early Years, Key Stage 1 and 2 and Higher Education groups. The museum’s Key Stage 1 and 2 offers reflect the changes to the history curriculum.

The museum intends to bring history to life for learners by making full use of its heritage buildings. This includes the museum’s own reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse where children can find out what life was like for people living on the North York Moors around two thousand five hundred years ago. Emma Colclough, learning manager, said: “By exploring the surrounds and construction of the roundhouse, getting hands-on with crafts such as pottery and weaving, children can get a real glimpse of home life during Iron Age. Bookings for these activities are already proving popular.”

Other themed days cover the Viking, Victorian and World War II eras, providing a chance for pupils to understand life during these times and how it is different to the way we live today.

In addition, this year the museum is offering a Tudor Christmas experience, providing a fun and educational end-of-term trip for school groups.

Children will be able to discover how Tudor Christmas celebrations are different to contemporary celebrations before learning and performing a Tudor dance, making some authentic decorations to take home and playing a selection of Tudor games. The Tudor Christmas programme will run on selected dates in late November and early December, taking place in the museum’s traditionally decorated Tudor Manor House.

Higher Education groups are also catered for with the new offers and various talks and workshops can be provided covering range of topics from tourism and leisure, heritage studies and business management. Emma said: “Ryedale Folk Museum offers great possibilities for higher education learning. It’s a good case study which cuts across many academic strands. We are pleased to cater for more HE groups with short talks and on-site studies.”

To find out more about the learning opportunities at the museum contact the museum’s learning team on 01751 417367 or email learning@ryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk. More information is also available on the website, ryedalefolkmuseum.co.uk/learning