Education at Kelmscott House
As a writer, designer, printer, passionate socialist and pioneer of the Arts and Crafts Movement William Morris remains an influential and inspirational figure. The Society offers many ways to learn about and enjoy the work of this eminent Victorian.
The William Morris Society presents...
Free Children's Arts & Crafts Workshops
October Half Term for ages 6+
| Thursday 27th October 10:30 – 12:00 | Create an Autumn Collage Investigate the textiles and wallpapers of William Morris to develop your own Autumn collage with our selection of fabrics, ribbons, sequins and buttons. |
| Thursday 27th October 12.30 - 2pm | Autumn Bag Designing Make a really useful bag to take home with you! Morris's swirling leaves, glowing fruit and enchanting flowers will be the inspiration to produce your own design which will be transferred onto a cotton bag |
| Book Now! | Please ring Helen Elletson on Tel: 020 8741 3735 to book onto these FREE workshops! |
Get out of the classroom
Visits from schools and local children are vital in strengthening the Society’s links to the community.
Over the past 10 years, curator Helen Elletson has been working hard to expand our programme of educational activities. We particularly welcome pupils from Years 5 and 6 who are studying the Victorian period.
- Study sessions for schools. You can choose between programmes on art, literacy and history and we tailor the learning to suit your needs.
- Learn about the Arts and Crafts Movement with an up-close look at fascinating artefacts including original textile designs, wallpaper samples, furniture, embroidery and Pre-Raphaelite drawings.
- Ten and eleven-year-olds can have a go at textile designing, weaving and painting on acetate to create their own “stained glass”.
The success of these visits is vital in fulfilling the Society’s remit to bring Morris’ work to a new audience. It also shows that traditional crafts that take their inspiration from Nature can still have a role in the lives of today’s gadget-obsessed kids.
Citizenship Programme for Key Stage 2 and 3
Kelmscott House is now offering an innovative Citizenship programme with cross-curricular links to English and History for Key Stage 2 and 3. Teachers, go to the citizenship page to read more about the programme, how you can book your class to take part at the museum, or download the resources to carry out the workshops offsite.
A cure for holiday boredom
Keeping the kids entertained during half-term breaks and summer holidays can be a challenge. Our innovative holiday workshops for ages 6 and upwards give them the chance to create beautiful paper flowers, experiment with poetry or explore our garden.
Review of previous workshops.
- 3rd June 2010. Kids get crafty over half-term
The last word
But our best testimonial, of course, is some of our satisfied customers. Here is just a small selection of quotes from the thank-you letters Helen received from the pupils of Year 6, Forty Hill Primary School, Enfield, who visited Kelmscott House in December 2008.
“I loved doing the stain glass windows because we wouldn’t have done that in school.” Anna
“I learnt and found out lots of new things and facts about William Morris. The most exciting thing I found out was that his daughter May was almost as talented as him.” Rebecca
“I didn’t know that he used a presser to produce his work plus he used stamps to put words in his books (wow that must have took a long time).” Pervin
“William Morris is my favourite artist.” Sonny
“Overall it was fantastic so I recommend it to anyone that likes art.” Vincent
Latest Education News
Teachers, parents and students! We now have an education blog with classroom activity ideas, fun facts to discuss at home, and the latest work by our school visitors.
Follow Morris's Wise Bird and comment on the Education Blog Page
Finding out about education at Kelmscott House
If you would like to arrange an educational visit to Kelmscott House please contact Helen Elletson via the Contacts and Location Page.