About the Session 

This set of activities covers and expands on the Year 3 national curriculum unit "light", using objects from the Whipple Museum to explore:

Shadows (sundials)

Microscopes

Telescopes 

Reflection and refraction

Transparent, translucent and opaque 

Duration: Can be booked as: 

One or more museum-led online sessions (up to an hour in total length) and a loans box of equipment for groups of up to six 

or

How does burning fossil fuels threaten Antarctic marine life?

This experiment demonstrates the link between increasing carbon dioxide levels and ocean acidification and freshening oceans. Freshwater and more acidic water in the oceans make life harder for Antarctica’s marine animals.

The experiment and video were made by Nick Barrett. Nick is a PhD student at the University of Cambridge Earth Science Department and The British Antarctic Survey investigating the resistance of Antarctic marine species to predicted freshening and lower salinity in the Southern Ocean.

Virtual Schools Service Available

Our Education Coordinator, Justyna, is available to live-stream into your classroom from the gallery to deliver the session. Justyna is available Wednesday - Friday.

For KS2 You can choose from two topics:

This resource comes from our bank of Look, Think, Do resources on the Fitzwilliam Museum website.

Maybe you have heard of Emperor Hadrian - who built Hadrian's wall near the Scottish/English border. But have you heard of the man he loved, Antinous? Listen to this story about how much Hadrian cared for Antinous.

This resource comes from our bank of Look, Think, Do resources on the Fitzwilliam Museum website.

Have a look at this penny coin that was stamped by a Suffragette in the early 1900s with a very important message. And what about these signs that show what people care about now? Make your own with this guidance.

This resource comes from our bank of Look, Think, Do resources on the Fitzwilliam Museum website.

Take a look at this incredible 500 year old jar from China and have a go at making a dragon shadow puppet inspired by its decorations.

This resource comes from our bank of Look, Think, Do resources on the Fitzwilliam Museum website.

Make like sculptor Barbara Hepworth and have a look at things abstractly - even just out your window! You can use this guide.

Our big range of Look, Think, Do activities encourage children and families to look deeply and thoughtfully at objects and to respond imaginatively through thinking, talking and making together -from Ancient Egyptian neckpieces to coins stamped by protesting Suffragettes.

You can use the shorter Look and Think activities for just a few minutes or spend a bit longer making something fantastic. 

In this activity you can see busts of Julius Caesar, Claudius, Nero and Hadrian from the museum. Find out more about each one, how they are connected to the history of Britain, and complete the activities to learn more! 

At the end you will find instructions on how to create your own comic about the life of emperor Claudius! 

Parachute is a game originally released in 1981 on the Nintendo Game and Watch, so you'll be re-creating a bit of history!

Click here to find out how!