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Activities | Units | Anniversaries | Bookings | Calendar | Resources | Photo Galleries
The NSW Schoolhouse Museum is open for pre-booked school excursions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Students can experience early school lessons, examine a range of objects and artefacts and do outdoor activities such as drill, maypole dancing and playground games. Scroll down for more details or download the Schools Program 2012 Flyer.
The fully restored schoolrooms are furnished with original school furniture. A varied collection of exercise books, texts, craft works, teaching resources and items from daily life are on exhibit.
Learning Experiences
Objects from the past hold stories and memories and what better way to discover these than through a hands-on approach. The focus of the program is for the students to interact with museum objects as much as possible.
A visit to the NSW Schoolhouse Museum gives your students the opportunity to:
- Experience an 1880s school lesson sitting at long-toms by firelight
- Examine artefacts and discuss the stories they hold
- Explore exhibits of old objects and consider changes over time
- Look at early crafts and work samples treasured through generations
- Write on slates with slate pencils
- Dip an ink pen to write Copperplate with pen and ink
- Study early photographs of school children and discover life in the past
- Use early technologies such as rubber stamps and jelly pads
- Dress in pinafores and sailors' collars
- Dance around a maypole and practise drill using wands and dumb bells
- Play with early toys like knuckles, marbles and spinning tops
- Enjoy early playground games such as 'fly', skipping and bowling hoops
- Compare life of the past to that of today.
In winter, students can toast a piece of bread over the open fire.
Programs can be run in the context of the 1870s-1900s, 1910s-1940s or 1950s-1960s with activities and resources used from these eras.
Related Units of Work
Activities at the NSW Schoolhouse Museum support the heritage content of the NSW HSIE syllabus and provides a first-hand experience for COGs and BoS units such as:
COGs Our Stories Stage 1 Our Families Stage 1 Effects of Growth and Change Stage 2 Local Environments Stage 2
BoS The Way We Were Stage 1 Families: Past and Present Stage 1 Then, Now and Tomorrow Stage 2 Australia: You're Standing in It Stage 2 The Schoolhouse Museum can also provide an authentic setting for studying Federation related content in the Stage 3 COGs units Traditions and Heritage and Interconnecting Growth and Change. For example, debating the pros and cons of a Federated Australia as 1890s pupils.
The visit program can be tailored to your local context or class unit of work by our education officers who are qualified teachers. Each visit is staffed by a qualified teacher and experienced facilitators.
Groups of students with special needs are welcome. We provide a modified program to cater for their interests, needs and abilities.
An overview of a the sessions on a typical visit are outlined in our Schools Program 2012 flyer.
School Anniversaries
A visit to the NSW Schoolhouse Museum could be a part of your school’s anniversary celebrations. Re-live a typical school day from the year your school started. A program can be designed to suit your needs.
Booking Information
No. of students : Max. 90 students Duration: Approx. 3 hours, including recess Cost per student: $12 per student. No GST Bookings available: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
- If 3 classes, the second part of the outdoor session is partly teacher-led.
- We ask that two parent helpers accompany each class in Terms 2 and 3 to assist with the toasting activity.
- Grandparents are welcome - we love their stories!
- Background notes, photos and a visit plan will be emailed before you visit.
- We recommend that the students eat morning tea on arrival. They’re usually hungry and the sessions can then be run uninterrupted.
- Visit fees fund staffing, collection management and conservation works. Our fees have risen for 2012 to adequately cover our staff and running costs. We charge only for the students who attend and all accompanying adults are free. For schools with difficult financial circumstances, please contact us.
Schools are advised to book as early as possible to secure a date. Most schools book about a term ahead. Bookings are taken in order of receipt.
We usually have a two class (40 students) minimum for mainstream class bookings. For single class bookings, we try to book in another single class. If we can't, we may need to charge an additional fee to cover our costs. This may also apply to bookings under 40 students. This is negotiated at the time of booking.
Please check the calendar for available dates and email us your preferred dates, numbers of students, arrival time and contact details.
Cancellation Policy: Any confirmed booking that is cancelled within 14 days of the visit will incur a $50 cancellation fee.
Risk Management Advice: Download here
Calendar
Dates available are shown with a green "Available" bar. The calendar is a guide only. Please email us to confirm that the dates shown are actually available. More days may become available so please contact us.
Bookings are being taken now for 2012.
Please email the Schoolhouse Museum to confirm availability of dates or phone or fax your enquiry. Email is preferred as it is checked daily. Phone and fax messages are collected once or twice a week.
Phone/Fax: 02 9805 1186
info@schoolhousemuseum.org.auResources
Information Sheets to download (PDFs)
About the NSW Schoolhouse Museum
Pre- and Post-Visit Suggestions
Print all the Information Sheets (set-up for duplex printing)
Pen and Ink Set - $5.00
Each set includes 3 nibs, one pen, powdered ink, blotting paper and script. Order form
Vere Foster's Copy Book No. 10 - $8.00
This is a reproduction Vere Foster Copy Book No. 10 - Ornamental Lettering. The Vere Foster series of writing copy books were used in NSW schools for handwriting practice. Order form
Jelly Pad Recipe
375ml glycerine (glycerol), 250ml water, 60g gelatine
Melt all ingredients together over low heat. Pour into a rust-proof, shallow, rectangular dish and allow to set. Can be re-melted in its tray in the oven if it gets damaged.
Post Visit Student Work Samples
Here is a selection of student work that teachers have sent in after their visit.
Number Story by 1JP North Sydney Public School 2011- very clever!
History of Education in NSW
Government Schools of NSW from 1848 - searchable and very comprehensive
History of Australian Education - links to various sites
Photo Galleries
Online photos galleries of early schooling, children and every day life
NSW Department of Education and Communities - Government Schools of NSW from 1848
University of Newcastle Cultural Collections - Schools photo set on Flickr
State Library of NSW - historical photo sets on Flickr
Powerhouse Museum -historical photo sets on Flickr
Australian Screen - Empire Day Pageant film footage c1915
National Library of Australia - Trove - a wealth of information online
NSW Schoolhouse Museum's photo sets
Objects photo gallery - these objects are part of the museum's collection which students will look for when they visit. Objects photo gallery
Photostream on Flickr - images of the Schoolhouse Museum, our collection and North Ryde Public School historical photos (a work in progress). Flickr photostream
