Outreach

en’s Travelling Suitcase

Ben’s Travelling suitcase is a valise full of Franklin at Craven Street-related objects with corresponding activities which the Education Manager shares with children in local schools. There are two primary offerings:

Become an Inventor, designed for ages 7 to 11 (UK Key Stage 1 and 2)

Forensics at Franklin’s, designed for over 16s

travelling suitcase

Become an Inventor

Encompassing Science, Verbal Communication, Art, Design and Technology, Creativity

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most inventive individuals of his age. His discoveries, including electricity, changed his world and helped shape ours. Sometimes he improved on the ideas of others (like bifocals), sometimes he created something entirely new (like lightning rods).

Become an Inventor explores the process of invention - some discoveries come about accidentally; others are the result of many years of research and experimentation. And it highlights how inventions may have both positive and challenging consequences. With the help of facsimiles, the workshop delves into some of Franklin’s key inventions and allows students to become inventors for the day: they consider a problem and propose an innovation to make life easier, as Franklin did before them. Pupils draw their creations and then share their designs in a short presentation to classmates following.

Forensics at Franklin’s

Encompassing Archaeology, Medicine, Science

Forensics at Franklin’s is a science lesson connecting archaeology and medicine that is popular with both children and adults.

Benjamin Franklin House served as the anatomy school of pioneering researcher William Hewson, who married Polly, the daughter of Franklin’s landlady Margaret in 1770. Basement excavations in 1998 revealed over 1200 cut and drilled bones, apparently discarded following student dissections. The bones are now being catalogued by scientists at the University of London’s Institute of Archaeology and provide fascinating information about the history of surgery.

Participants learn the definition of and uses for archaeology and forensics while uncovering the secrets of primitive surgery. The workshop highlights the importance of scientific inquiry and science and technology in society. As archaeologists for the day, they must analyze bone fragments found at Craven Street and employ the techniques of modern forensic investigation, describing their evidence and what each piece reveals.

To book an appointment or request more information, please contact our Education Manager, Stephen Wilson on 0207 839 2013 or education@benjaminfranklinhouse.org.

cience Day

OurAnnual Benjamin Franklin House Science Day is a ‘treat’ for the schools with which we work closely. Science Day illuminates the National Curriculum through a variety of activities which demonstrate how Franklin’s work arose from a spirit of awe and curiosity about the world in which he lived, which in turn led him to ask questions, seek answers and develop solutions. The content is appropriate for Key Stage 2 children with the focus on a range of learning styles to enable all children to benefit from the experience.

The 2010 Annual Science Day took place on 4 May 2010. The event was attended by St. John’s, Surrey Square Juniors, Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle and St. Paul’s Tower Hamlets. Over 161 staff and students took part in fun and informative sessions highlighting what became of some of Franklin’s most important investigations. Franklin was interested in the practical application of scientific knowledge. Favourite House scientist, Dr Bryson Gore, captured the children’s attention with experiments that showed how the great man’s 18th century explorations have led to some of today’s most important technologies.

The annual Benjamin Franklin House Science Fair took place on 29 June at St. Clement Dane Primary School. Participants – aged 8 to 10 - followed in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin producing inventions that would have made Franklin proud. Children were asked to either focus on green energy or safer headphones to protect hearing. Like Franklin before them, they explored creative solutions to everyday challenges.

Judging the competition were Rob Baker of the Royal Society of Arts where Franklin was their first international member, Catherine Bennett from the Noise Abatement Society's ‘Love your Ears’ campaign aimed at protecting child hearing, and Dianne Cran of the Royal Institution. It was a difficult task but the judges declared a spherical solar panel submitted by pupils Donik, Stella, Keisha and Beatrix and Alfie, aged between 8 and 9, as winners. The judges felt the design, for providing power to homes or vehicles, was unique and praised the inventors for exploring gaining more energy by maximising the surface area. Donik, one of the teams spokespersons, noted he was “Pretty excited because science is one of my favourite topics and I got to make my own model." One of his classmates Martha, aged 9, who worked on a new headset design for safer enjoyment of music and other sounds, said she had enjoying learning "about the bones in the ears …. and how they jump up and down.”

According to Habib, who joined the Benjamin Franklin House team on a work experience placement during Science Fair, said, "It was a real treat for both the competitors and spectators to take part. The experience allowed the pupils to apply their own scientific knowledge to their tasks."