Opening Times

School visits are arranged for Tuesdays and there are morning and afternoon slots. Otherwise the house is open to the public from 10:30 to 5:00 pm each of the other days of the week.

What makes this a great venue for School group Fun or Educational Visits?

Benjamin Franklin House offers a diverse range of learning activities for school groups and families. A visit to Benjamin Franklin House satisfies scientific curiosity and enhances historical knowledge.
Based on the London work and life of one of the main figures of the Enlightenment - Benjamin Franklin - our unique educational centre offerings include a tailored Historical Experience and a Student Science Centre with hands-on activities that are simple, structured and stimulating to capture children’s imagination, enabling them to be involved in the process of investigation.

What are the Curriculum Topics or Benefit to the students from a visit?

A visit to Benjamin Franklin House is ideal for supporting the UK National Curriculum's Science, English, design & technology and history study units. Although particularly relevant to key stage 2 (6 to 10 year-olds), a visit can be tailored for all key stages, providing curriculum enrichment opportunities for pupils with a wide variety of interests.
• Science stimulates pupils, curiosity about the world around them and satisfies such curiosity with knowledge. At Benjamin Franklin House children develop critical and creative thought, understanding how major scientific ideas contribute to technological and cultural change
• English is a prime language for communication. Its literature is rich and influential, reflecting the experience of varied people throughout time and from distinct lands. A prime feature of each class visit is the Historical Experience (special tour of the House), where pupils develop listening and speaking skills in order to express themselves creatively and imaginatively
• Design and technology helps children become individual and team problem solvers. The second key component of a class visit is the Student Science Centre, where pupils question and test a variety of different Franklin-related inventions and ideas
• History is central to learning. At Benjamin Franklin House children learn about life in Georgian London and the advent of modern medicine, considering how the past influences the present and shapes the future.

What are the activities?

The Medical History Room focuses on the medical research work of William Hewson, Polly's husband, who operated an anatomy school at 36 Craven Street. The Medical History Room exposes young minds to scientific enquiry and life processes.
In the Discovery Room, children are challenged to identify various objects (originals, facsimiles, and present day items), to explain their function, to test their guesses and to suggest how they are used or work. Items are set in both a historical and scientific context.
The Demonstration Room features task-led, hands-on experiments that supplement the other learning activities and refer to Franklin's scientific activities at the House. Dramatic, interest-catching audio-visual segments will support the presentations, extending the lesson and enabling children to explore 'what if' questions such as 'what happens if lightning strikes a building with no lightning conductor?'

What is the age range of the activities?

We can tailor our programme for Key Stage One, Key Stage Two and Key Stage Three.

Sample programme of the activities:

We offer pupils a Historical Experience – interactive tour of the museum using an actor in a period costume – and a visit to the Student Science Centre – which features hands-on experimentations associated with Franklin’s scientific discoveries. These include his more well known discoveries concerning lightening and electricity and some of his less known works involving musical instruments and canal depth.

We also offer free outreach workshops, on ‘Invention and Innovation’, which teaches children practical problem solving skills and fires their imagination by teaching them how to become and inventor, and on ‘Becoming an Archaeologist’ which is a workshop designed to take them through the process of solving a crime using archaeological clues. The latter workshop will use forensic science and real life stories to teach them more about biological and chemical science and the wonders of the human body.

Our workshops can last anywhere from twenty to ninety minutes, and can happen on any day of the week. Visits to the House would normally take place on a Tuesday, any time from 10.30 am until 5 pm, and normally last around ninety minutes.

What materials to you provide or suggest groups bring to support the visit?

We can provide teachers with study materials for their class in advance of the visit, but no special materials or preparation is necessary for a visit to Benjamin Franklin House.

What are the minimum and maximum group sizes and the free Teacher Ratio?

Our minimum group size is 10, and our maximum group size is 30.

Do you have or how do you arrange risk assessment?

We can provide a risk assessment upon request.

Do you offer Teacher familiarisation days?

We can provide teach familiarisation days.

What facilities are there for school groups for food and drink, shop etc?

There are nearby cafes and restaurants, and a gift shop on site.

Do you have first aid on site?

A first aid box with a qualified first aider.

Are there any restrictions on photos, copyright etc?

Photographs are allowed, and, indeed, encouraged!