Home Educator workshops: 11-16 years - September 2026-January 2027

Join The Box for our pilot Home Educator workshops for 11-15 year olds. This six-month series supports home educating families in bringing unique experiences in historical and cultural enquiry to young people.

On selected dates between 17 September 2026 to 21 January 2027
3-5pm

In each two-hour session, young people will engage with historical artefacts from our handling collection, using them as a gateway to cultural understanding and exploration. To bring artefacts to life, each session will also include exploration through art, storytelling and group activities.

Our sessions are designed to be flexible, engaging and accessible, with activity stations to allow free-flow and fascination-led learning which respond to how your young person feels on the day. Young people will also tour the museum with an expert facilitator, discovering more stories about our collection and boosting critical-thinking skills.

Through these sessions, young people will build:

• Confidence in expressing and exploring ideas
• Ability to form their own enquiries
• Emotional expression and self-confidence
• Creative thinking and problem-solving skills
• Communication and discussion skills
• Observation and critical thinking
• Curiosity and understanding of art, history, culture and the wider world

First child £10, additional child £7.50

You can book into as many sessions as you'd like, but if you book all five sessions at the same time, you'll receive a 10% discount off the total order.

Monthly themes

September
Gillian Ayres: A Life in Colour. A messy, playful workshop exploring self-expression through the work of Gillian Ayres

October
Ancient Egypt – Belief systems and trade. Curate your own mini exhibition with this hands-on workshop whilst exploring part of our Ancient Egyptian collection.

November
Making Home – The Way We Live. How do we create homes of the future? Create your own space inspired by our exhibition The Way We Live, using art, den building, and eco-friendly design.

December
World War Two – Culture Under Pressure. What happens when the world changes over night, how do we still connect to ourselves and each other? Discover what happened to culture in WWII with this immersive workshop.

January
(11-16 years session only) Cosmic Dust in the City. Discover the secret life of micrometeorites in this special workshop with Dr Stephen Grimes. Use the latest technology to see these tiny meteorites and get up close and personal with the collection held at The Box.

(7-11 years session only) Plymouth’s Polar Explorer. Wrap up warm for an expedition Antarctica with Captain Robert Scott! Imagine what it would have been like to trek to the South Pole and immerse yourself in a world of ice and exploration.

February
(7-11 years session only) Gertrude Benham – The Woman of Many Mountains. Discover the story of Gertrude Bonham and explore the cultures from around the world through the collection donated to The Box from the woman who climbed over 300 mountains.