KS1-2

A lively introductory session to give the children a grounding in Brontë basics, or to build on what they've already learnt. There'll be images, artefacts, and quizzes, as well as a guide for what to look out for in the Museum. The content of this will be adapted depending on which other workshops have been booked for the visit. 

How can everyday objects from the past help us to understand what life might have been like for the Brontës and other children living in their time? 

In this workshop, children have the opportunity to get their hands on a range of artefacts and find out as much as they can about each one. They can record what they've learnt in words or pictures and share their discoveries. They're encouraged to use their imaginations to bring those facts to life. 

We'll also think about how these objects can help us make comparisons - just how different were the Brontës' lives to ours? 

In this artefact-based workshop, as well as learning more about the Brontës' lives, we ask some interesting questions…

• How does an artefact find its way into a museum? 
• How useful are artefacts as primary source evidence in telling us about the past?
• What's special about the collection at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, and what makes a good exhibition? 

The children gain some insight into the role of a curator and the importance of context in understanding objects from the past.

We explore the surroundings of the Brontës’ home in this short village walk, bringing to life just what Haworth was like when the Brontës lived here. 

We'll see what evidence the church and churchyard give us about life and death in Haworth, and then take a walk alongside the fields and allotments. We finish on busy cobbled Main Street, a fantastic visual resource for what an early industrial village was like, and how it's changed over time. 

This includes the village walk, but also takes us up onto blustery, wild Penistone Hill. Though so close to the village, this is the authentic moorland landscape that the Brontës loved to explore from childhood and that inspired them all their lives. There's also a wealth of surprising industrial evidence which shows us another dimension to the moor’s history. 

We know that getting out into nature and wild places can have positive effects on children’s wellbeing. The wonderful views from Penistone Hill and the sense of freedom and expansiveness can be so uplifting, making for a fun and memorable experience. 

Using a simple script based on childhood scenes in the novel, children take on the roles of the characters and bring the world of 'Jane Eyre' to life. This is an exciting workshop, using drama to explore some of the themes in the book. It’s also a lot of fun - everyone gets to take part, and everyone gets to wear some costume!

Children don’t need to have any prior experience in drama for this workshop, and less confident pupils can choose parts that don’t require speaking. 

There's something magical about the miniature… The Brontës loved to write stories as children, and many of their tales are found in the tiny magazines they wrote for their toy soldiers to read!

In this workshop, we look more closely at some examples of these 'little books', and show children how to make their very own. They can make them colourful, decorative and fun, or follow the Brontës’ method, covering them with scrap paper, stitching the pages together, and even writing in them with dip pens. 

What did the Brontës write about as children, and what inspired them? 

After some fun writing exercises to get them going, the children will share words, images, feelings, and whatever has caught their interest looking around the Museum or in their workshops. Following some prompts and ideas on how to set the scene for writing a story, they'll use these impressions to create their own piece of writing, inspired by their visit.