Discovery Boxes are museum collections-based learning resources for use in the classroom to enrich your curriculum-based teaching. They include replica archival material, photos, videos and a variety of activities for pupils to do as a class, in groups and as individuals. Many boxes also include real and replica objects.
We have built key areas of the curriculum into these resources so that schools can introduce aspects of history, local history and art into their classroom learning with ease, and importantly, fun! Each Discovery Box covers a specific theme, and within it, a number of curriculum markers.
About this Discovery Box
The Time Detectives: The Victorians Discovery Box is suitable for Key Stages 1-3 and contains three different activities which change dependant on Key Stage. The main activity for all key stages is an investigation looking at over a dozen objects from around the Victorian period, using critical thinking and enquiry skills to analyse and discover what they might have been used for – thus learning more about the time period in question, the people who lived then, and how their lives might differ from our lives today.
This discovery box covers a number of both KS1 and KS2 history and RSE curriculum markers. Three activities are designed for delivery in the classroom, and one for outside spaces.
This box contains the following objects:
- Tooth paste pot
- Carpet beaters
- Back straightener
- Candle snuffer
- Button hooks
- Darning mushroom
- Hat pin
- Hat pin stand
- Penny lick
- Clay hot water bottle
- Copper hot water bottle
- Glove stretchers
- Printing block
Curriculum Links
KS1
- Pupils will develop an awareness of the past using common words and phrases relating to the passage of time. They will identify similarities and differences between ways of life in different periods.
KS2 and KS3
- Pupils will form an understanding of historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity and difference and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends and create their own accounts including written narratives and analyses.
- Pupils will consider emotions, both of people of the past and how this impacts their own, thus opening the doors to conversations around empathy and wellbeing
Make an Enquiry
Please submit your enquiry by emailing the Learning Team at LearningBookings@scll.co.uk
Please include as many details as possible, including:
- School name and postcode
- Contact number and email
- Which session/Discovery Box you are enquiring about
- Information about year group, number of pupils and any other relevant information
- When you would like to visit or book
- Any other questions you may have
Once you have booked, we will send you a confirmation letter via email.
Don’t forget to join our mailing list at the bottom of this page to be the first to know about offers and news!
How Do Discovery Boxes Work?
Discovery Boxes are collected from and returned to Salford Museum and Art Gallery. The loan lasts for a half term, and costs £50 per box.
The contents of each box varies – please look at the specific box you would like to borrow for a list of contents. All resources include photographs and hands-on learning resources, as well as practical activities for the classroom and outside. Further supporting material for teachers, including resource-specific videos, downloads and activities, will be made available at the start of the loan period via Microsoft Teams.
