Guardian Education
Tuesday April 8 2003
Resources Key Stage 1 - 4 Age 5 - 16
An inventive and vibrant museum with an excellent tour and educational package. Events are organized to tie in with the calendar and with national initiatives such as science week. Killhope provides resource boxes that can be borrowed by schools for a fortnight, without charge: these contain documents, artefacts, activities and teaching suggestions themed around either family life in the 19th-century or life in a lead mine.
The centre prides itself on being a worksheet-free zone: pupils are encouraged to "do" rather than to observe, and to this end they are taken into the mine, given headlamps, and asked to imagine life for children in the 19th century. The experience can be quite moving, especially when pupils are asked to turn off their lamps - the path out into daylight is often walked in complete silence. At £2.50 per child for a three-hour visit, the museum represents excellent value for money, and comes highly recommended.
Prices have changed since 2003 - but we are still excellent value for money and time.