Free Resources for Teachers

If you’re looking for ideas on how to use museum objects in your classroom, you should find something to inspire you on this page.

Using objects in schools

Visit the free Loans Online resources pages, which are full of suggestions and materials to help you get the most from loans boxes - or any other objects you bring into class.
Loans Online resources pages

Using Artefacts in the Primary Curriculum

For this 2002 project teachers in Windsor & Maidenhead used loans boxes as an exciting stimulus for writing in all curriculum areas. They created learning resources, including lesson plans around literacy, using boxes on subjects such as Masks From Around the World.

To explore resources based on museum loans boxes created by the Windsor & Maidenhead teachers click here.

Bringing History Alive with Artefacts

Find out how Reading Primary History Co-ordinators in four schools used museum loans boxes to support the history curriculum and stimulate thematic planning for one term in 2005. They created resources inspired by using loans boxes on the themes of: 

Medical History

Carnival Costume

Toys and Games

Life under the Stuarts

These resources inform the creative curriculum, working across the primary key stages and showing children’s work alongside learning outcomes. To see the finished report including lesson plans, topic webs and feedback from children and teachers click here.

Out of the Picture ‘The Chef’ by Eric Kennington

A successful collaboration between The Museum of Reading and The Whitley Excellence Cluster of schools, culminating in Artsweek 2005. Teachers from both primary and secondary stages used a portrait from the museum’s art collection to inspire work across the curriculum.

With funding from DfES (the Department for Education and Skills) and DCMS (the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) the museum also worked with Year 9 at Thamesbridge College in Reading to create resources to use with both Art and Citizenship.

For further information about this exciting project click here.

Using Artefacts in the Primary Curriculum was funded by SEMLAC (The South East Museums, Libraries, and Archives Council).

Bringing History Alive with Artefacts was made possible with funding from SEMLAC.

The Thamesbridge College Cultural Entitlement project was funded by SEMLAC via the Thames Valley Museum Group, DfES (the Department for Education and Skills) and DCMS (the Department for Culture, Media and Sport).