As we mentioned in an earlier post, one activity was a tour of the stores at Beamish and a talk on conservation. This was a very popular activity; the students were fascinated by both the size of the stores and the sheer range of items that the Museum has in its archive. The second activity was identifying 19th century medical instruments using period catalogues. Apparently, the instruments weren't always gruesome enough, so we'll have to work on that in future! (We actually left some of the really icky ones in storage; that'll teach us). Both of these activities took place at the Resource Centre.
Our third activity was looking for applications of chemistry in the Town. Many people don't realise just how important chemistry is to every day life, so this activity was designed to show just how much of an impact it has. Needless to say, the tea shop and the sweet shop were both very popular destinations...
Our final activity was up at Pockerley Manor. Being a Monday, it meant we didn't get any lovely foody treats (Monday is calligraphy day not biscuit day, very sadly), but the sun was shining as our students tried to come up with herbal remedies to treat a series of common 19th century ailments. The curly coated pigs provided an added attraction when the students had finished being early pharmacists.
All in all, we had a fantastic day - the sun shone, the students had a chance to get to know each other and a chance to see behind the scenes at a very important local resource. Fingers crossed they'll go back in the near future to explore further and take their friends and family along too.
Last of all, we'd like to say a big thanks to Beamish Museum and their staff for being so friendly and helpful, and to Eileen Atkins at STEAM for helping us to organise the event.
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