Covid-19 Procedures during the autumn 2020 term.
Following are the measures we have put in place to comply with the Government’s Guidance on the Full Opening of Schools, published 2nd July 2020. These measures will be subject to review throughout the autumn term, we will inform the school of any changes needed to be implemented to a booked workshop.
We will also work with schools to make adaptations to comply with any individual provisions schools have in place.
We appreciate that these are unusual circumstances under which to plan a curriculum, which is why we have suspended our cancellation policy and ask that schools which need to cancel give us as much notice as they can.

• It is our intention to visit only one class at a time. However, if your school is working with larger bubbles it may be possible to work with larger groups. We will discuss your individual situation with you on booking.
• When using equipment and artefacts, if your school procedures allow, we will allow for sharing of items among children within the same bubble, to allow for a whole class session. We will clean all items thoroughly before any possible sharing with other bubbles.
• All items are cleaned before arrival and after each workshop. We are staggering our visits to allow for at least 48 hours to pass before equipment is used. (“Classroom based resources, such as books and games, can be used and shared within the bubble; these should be cleaned regularly” -Guidance for Full Opening: Schools updated 17th September 2020)
• We will also come with our own equipment for thorough cleaning of all of our artefacts. We are following Public Health England's Guidance on Covid-19: Cleaning in non-healthcare settings outside the home. If you would like further information on the products we use, please get in touch.
• Dressing up items have been excluded from our provision for the autumn term and will be reviewed.
• If your school would prefer us not to bring artefacts for children to handle, we have alternative sessions, where artefacts will be shown and discussed, the workshop staff will share stories, interesting facts before children have a go at a paper-based activity which can, if preferred be photocopied by the school to minimise handling our materials.
• We will inform the school as far in advance as possible if any workshop staff show any symptoms of Covid-19. Booked workshops will be cancelled or postponed, depending on the school’s wishes.
• We will endeavour to meet the 2 metre social distancing guidelines for all staff and children, where possible.
• We will adhere to strict hygiene standards, washing hands as regularly as possible and using hand gel when this is not possible.

 

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About Us

Widget Workshops - for Primary Schools
We currently run history workshops covering: The Stone Age to Iron Age, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, The Maya (Mayans) and The Romans.

A much cheaper alternative to school trips, with the benefits of no time spent travelling, less staffing costs and far less time organising. Let us take the strain and transport you to another world.

What's a typical workshop like?
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In short, our workshops are a great mix of immersive Virtual Reality and hands-on learning of ancient skills along with handling real and replica artefacts. All of this is delivered by knowledgable staff who can provide the facts, details theories behind the practical activities the children are exploring.

We understand that it can be difficult to plan a day in school when staffing and space may be an issue. With that in mind, we bring two specialists so that we can entirely lead up to two classes, requiring only supervision and support from staff, we can also hold workshops entirely within the classroom.

• We believe in experimental archaeology and experiential learning, artefacts are there to not just be handled but USED. Have a go at spinning wool using a drop spindle. Compare grinding wheat and making flour using a Neolithic saddle quern then try it using an Iron Age rotary quern. Make your own Archimedes Screw and test out his theory.
• Our VR sessions are a real hit with the children. It's like going on a school trip to the ancient world!


• We have specialist subject knowledge and are determined to share it! Throughout the day we give short, interactive and most importantly, informative talks about our subject. Feel free to ask questions.

• The day will always include informative but interactive talks paired with a variety of activity sessions.
• One class will be able to take part in anything up to six activity sessions in a day, some will be as a whole class, whilst others may be in two large groups, all lead by our specialists. With staff participation, we can rotate children in much smaller groups if that is your preference.
• Two classes can be lead for a full day, entirely by our specialists, we just need staff present for supervision and children may need a little support.
• Three Classes can also access our workshops. Our specialists lead two of the classes, whilst we provide activities for the third class to be lead by school staff. Children can then rotate around these activities throughout the day.

See our Topics pages for more details of the kinds of activities your children could be taking part in.

Of course the children get to dress up! We learn about the costumes and often link it to other elements such as army formations and warfare.

VR headsets can explore the world as it was through animation and take you on 360 tours of sites which are inaccessible on a school trip. Chichen Itza? The Pyramids of Giza? Stonehenge? The Parthenon? We've got them all!

A closer look at the Dresden Codex. Exploring Maya myths, glyphs and numbers.

We have a fun, interactive activity for the whole class. Our eight metre timeline puts the topic period into a clearer context.

Children as archaeologists, exploring Maya artefacts using digital equipment.

Children can explore the theories behind important inventions and discoveries of the topic period.

We bring lots of interesting artefacts for display. Are they interactive? Of course they are! Look AND touch. Have a go at using a Greek wax tablet for writing, play a Lyre harp.

Children trying a bit of mummification!

Children can try their hand at an ancient skill or craft. This gives them a deeper connection to the people they're studying.

We run educational history and VR workshops across Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Wales, the Midlands and beyond. Full day workshops using two of our specialists are from as little as £295, please ask for a quote for your bespoke day.