Discovery boxes for schools

If you are unable to visit the museum, you can hire one of our discovery boxes, packed with objects and activities, for use in your classroom.

Hire a discovery box

Our discovery boxes can help enhance your classroom teaching with replica objects and accompanying activities.

Box hire costs £25 for a two-week loan. 

Book a box
Discovery box displaying Victorian household items, embroidery, a slate board and a silver teapot.

Discovery Box Themes

Toys and Games

Discover how children played in the past. Explore historical toys and games and  find out how children’s  play has changed over the last century.

Discovery box displaying Victorian household items, embroidery, a slate board and a silver teapot.

Stone Age to Iron Age

Handle real and replica prehistoric objects and investigate how tools, technology and daily life changed from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.

Discovery box displaying Stone Age to Iron Age tools and flint artefacts.

Romans

Step into the world of Roman Britain. Explore replica and real objects to discover how people lived, worked and looked after themselves in one of history's most influential civilisations.

Discovery box containing Roman artefacts, pottery fragments and a laurel wreath.

Victorians

Examine fascinating household objects from the Victorian era, including a silver teapot, carbolic soap and a goffering iron. What can these artefacts reveal about life in a Victorian home?

Discovery box containing Victorian household objects including a kettle, iron, lace and tins.

British Civil Wars: Arms and Armour 

Handle replica equipment and uncover the role of soldiers during the British Civil Wars. 

British Civil Wars: Upside-Down World 

Investigate the world of the British Civil Wars including the lives of soldiers, spies, and civilians through replica objects. This box was created to accompany our remote resources available here https://www.worldturnedupsidedown.co.uk/upside-down-world/

Discovery box featuring Civil War-era objects, books, clothing and replica artefacts.

Second World War: Food and Rationing

How did families cope when food was scarce? Explore ration books, replica foods and household items to discover how people adapted to life under rationing during and after the Second World War.

Second World War: Evacuees

What was it like to leave home and move to the countryside? Through objects and activities, discover the experiences of children evacuated during the Second World War and how they adapted to unfamiliar surroundings.

WWII discovery box containing knitted clothing, a toy teddy bear and wartime household items.

Create Your Own Museum

What do museums do to display and conserve objects? Create a pop-up museum in your classroom using replica objects and museum equipment  

Discovery box featuring Punch and Judy puppets, costumes and traditional seaside entertainment props.