Educational Activities at the Mill
Our Education Officer offers a wide variety of cross-curricular activities suitable for KS1-KS4
during a full two-hour activity session in the historic and idyllic surroundings
of Whitchurch Silk Mill. Each group is treated as unique and the visit
itinerary is tailored to your specific requirements. Please ring to discuss
the content of your visit. You are also welcome to undertake a planning
visit.
Young people with special educational needs are positively welcomed.
Access is difficult for young people with limited mobility but the location
of some activities can be moved. Please telephone the Education Officer
for information.
Whitchurch Silk Mill is delighted to welcome visits from schools at any
time of the year.
How big can visiting groups be?
The maximum group the Silk Mill can cope with is 30 students plus accompanying
adults. We cannot accommodate larger groups.
What will happen on a visit?
Uually for the first hour a group will be split into two. Half the students
will watch a video about the history and production of silk while the
other half will have a guided tour of the Mill. Then the groups will switch
around.
After a short break, school groups can select from a range of activitie
related to silk, weaving and textiles.
What sort of activities are offered?
Weaving - weaving with paper and recycled materials. For younger
children simply mastering the principles of weaving paper strips through
a cardboard warp can be a challenge. Older groups will find the mathematics
of twills and other woven patterns more interesting. Weaving without looms
such as Mexican God's Eyes or braiding are also offered.
Silk Painting - Pre-treated with gutta pictures give younger children
an opportunity to experiment with the effects of colour and light offered
by silk. From Key Stage 3, students will have the strength and fine motor-control
to take on the challenges of drawing and designing with gutta and paints.
Felting - an alternative way of creating fabrics combining wool
and silk.
Fabric testing - examining the properties of various different
fabrics for resilience, insulation, stretch and strength and making recommendations
for how to use in garment production.
The Silk Mill will always try to tailor your visit to any particular
aspect of the curriculum, so please feel free to discuss any specific objectives
you may have. Costs will vary according to the craft activities chosen.
How do I book a visit?
Either telephone the Whitchurch Silk Mill on 01256 892065 or post the
form below to:
Whitchurch Silk Mill
28 Winchester Street
Whitchurch
RG28 7AL
Please Note: the enquiry form does not constitute a confirmed booking
School _______________________________________________________________
Contact Name _________________________ Contact phone no ________________
Ideal Dates(s) _________________________________________________________
REPEAT VISITS
We record all visits on an OfSTEd-style Planning & Evaluation Form,
including precise details of the content of each session. Each session
is verbally evaluated with pupils and staff before they leave.
If the same class then opts for a repeat visit we can look at our records,
and tailor the new session to include activities not previously experienced.
We can also respond to previous feedback on how to improve the session.
Every visit is therefore unique.
COST
Just £3.50 - £5.50 per pupil Minimum charge per group £35 - 55 (including materials), with all staff free.
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
We can also offer craft activity sessions, visiting workshops and special
evening openings. Our usual opening hours can be extended to accommodate
Uniformed Groups (Beavers, Scouts, Guides etc), Church groups, and Youth
Clubs who are unable to join in our daytime activities. In addition we
can provide Craft Activity Parties for children’s birthdays and other
special events, and provide simple party menus for a small extra cost!
We continue to develop new ‘hands on’ activities for visiting
adults and children of all ages. Our most recent research work has looked
at fibres, including animal, plant and synthetics. Recent additions include
a microscope and many of our own silks prepared as microscope slides.
Using the microscope you can now clearly see weave patterns that are difficult
to see with the naked eye.
The slides are supplemented with an extensive ‘Fibre Facts’
file, and a number of attractive card games. You get the chance to match
each one of a set of animal pictures with the fibre that is harvested
from it, including both commercial silk and wild tussah silk! If you enjoy
this activity there is a similar activity matching plant pictures with
their correct ‘bast’ fibre.
There are vocabulary games looking at words used in weaving, and
vocabulary particularly used in silk weaving.
You can now contrast and compare the fibre of both natural silk, and synthetic
silk.
In addition keep in touch with the Mill to get early details of our forthcoming
Holiday Activity Programmes, and also our Adult Education Programmes
Helen Overton-Hore
Education Officer – Whitchurch Silk Mill
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