Royal Engineers Museum, Library & Archive

Early Engineers

This is a science and engineering based session where children learn not only about the earliest forms of military engineering, but also about forces and motion. Get a general picture of siege warfare in medieval times before moving on to help us carry out experiemtns with our very own Trebuchet Catapult. Children will then be given a chance to make and test thier own catapults. By the end of the day, children will have an understanding of the work of early engineers and siege warfare. They will have gained knowledge of forces and motion through thier work with the catapults.

Engineers of the Empire

"The sun never sets on the British Empire." This famous phrase was once used to describe an empire that spanned the globe, and ruled the seas. In this session, we look at those who built that empire from the ground up. The work of the Royal Engineers is on a global scale, as they built the roads, forts, sewage and everything else that the British Empire needed to be the great force that it was. History is brough to life as students get the chance to handle real objects from our collection, some of which date back to the very beginning of the Victorian Era.

Exploding Science!

This session is aimed at pupils in Key Stage 3, and specifically explores elements of the Science Curriculum. The workshop aimes to give students the chance to explore chemical reactions and thier uses in a controlled environment, while also looking at some of their more hazardous effects. Participants will undertake first-hand experiments, and utilize multi-media sources, along with Museum archival information to explore the subject of "explosions" and the physics behind them.

How to obtain

Simply call the Museum Learning Department: 01634 822312

The Lady of the Lamp: Florence Nightingale

In this session, children learn about the work of Florence Nightingale, focusing mainly on her work in the crimean, but also looking briefly at her early and later life. Objects from our Florence Nightingale collection are used ti illustrate the talk and children are given a chance to handle these. They will also get the chance to observe them closely as part of a drawing activity used to end the session. The session also covers how we can learn about people from the objects they leave behind.

World War One: Life in the Trenches

The session focuses on the process of becoming a soldier: from signing up in 1914 to life in the trenches on the Western Front. Learn about life for those who survived the war and the lasting effects the war had on them. By the end of the session we hope that children have an increased knowledge about what life was like for individuals during the war and a better understanding of just what their daily life consisted of.

World War Two: Home Front

This session focuses on what life would have been like for children during the war, the main focus being on evacuation. The session does also cover rationing and the Blitz and looks at the work of those adults who stayed on the Home Front. The Learning Officer uses imagery, and object handling to bring the session to life, and children will have the chance to handle objects from our WWII handling collection.

Brilliant Bridges

Such simple things as bridges permiate our daily lives, but how often do we take a moment to think about the science behind them? This session looks at just how bridges work, along with some historical examples to show students how technology has evolved and the various properties of building materials used. Who better to learn about bridges than with the Royal Engineers, Britain's bridgers since 1066!

WWII for the Price of 1

An exciting new whole day programme - split between The Historic Dockyard Chatham, and the Royal Engineers Museum. This programme offers a fascinating insight into the Second World War, and seeks to whet the appetite of students in Key Stage 3 for further studies in history.