School visits at South Kensington

On this page you can find workshops, science shows and self-led activities for students of all ages.

All our activities are developed by professional science educators and support the national curriculum.

Open daily 10.00 - 17.50
Last entry 17.30
Closed 24-26 December

Essential information to plan your visit.

Book on +44 (0)20 7942 5555
Lines open Monday to Friday 8.30 - 16.00
Please read the pre-booking checklist (pdf 69kB) before you phone.

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How to book

We recommend you read the essential information for schools page to plan your trip.

Choose activities by Key Stage from the list below.
To see if the activities are offered on the days you plan to come, you can view the schools events calendar.
To check availability and to book an activity, you can call the school bookings team on +44 (0)207 942 5555. In order to process your booking effectively please make sure you have read the pre-booking checklist.
If you would like to bring a school group to visit the Museum without booking any activities you can use the booking enquiry form to arrange your trip.
Please note, we can not take bookings for any trips that would fall within the school holidays: half terms and Christmas, Easter and summer breaks.

Remember, school groups can also book discounted tickets for exhibitions at the Museum.

Guidance for Home Educator groups

Home Educator groups are welcome to visit us at the Museum and are encouraged to partake in our School’s Learning Programme.

Our workshops require a minimum booking number of 10 children per session.

Please be aware that all of our workshops & shows are designed for specific ages / key stages in accordance with the national curriculum. We are unable to facilitate groups with a mixture of ages / key stages.

Unless your booking occupies the full capacity of the venue for your activity, your session may be shared with another school group.

If you have any further questions please do call contact our Schools Bookings team directly: Monday - Friday during office hours (8.30 - 16.00) on +44 (0)20 7942 5555.

Alternatively, our Investigate Centre is open to the public Monday to Friday during term time for ‘drop in’ style sessions, 16.00 - 17.15 (last entry 17.00). Please visit the Investigate for families page for more information.

Early Years Foundation Stage (five years and under)

Explorers: Ourselves and Other Animals

Carry out your own scientific inquiry on this self-guided tour.

Storytelling with Puppets

Explore natural history and curriculum science through puppets and popular stories.

Wildlife Garden Explorers

Take on the role of explorers and investigate biodiversity in the Wildlife Garden.

Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)

Super Stegosaurus Workshop

Discover how scientists piece together fossil finds.

Storytelling with Puppets

Explore natural history and curriculum science through puppets and popular stories.

Students holding Explore and Discover guides

Explore and Discover guides - primary

Our interactive booklets provide pupils with structured gallery activities.

Explorers: Ourselves and Other Animals

Carry out your own scientific inquiry on this self-guided tour.

Wildlife Garden Explorers

Take on the role of explorers and investigate biodiversity in the Wildlife Garden.

Explore and Discover free downloadable activities

Free booklets with pre-visit tips and follow-up ideas, for you to download and print before your visit.

Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11)

Cutting Edge Workshop

Handle, observe and compare a variety of animal skulls in this interactive workshop.

Dino Scene Investigation

Perform your own fossil dig and draw conclusions about how dinosaurs looked in this hands-on workshop.

Mission to Mars: LEGO® Explorers Workshop

Pupils will design, create and code a Martian rover using LEGO^® Education WeDo 2.0 robotics sets in this hands-on workshop.

Volcanologist figure in front of a volcano

Emergency! Earthquakes and Volcanoes Show

Transform into scientists to save a town from geological catastrophe in this action-packed science show.

Evolution Workshop

Compare fossils and explore how life has changed over time in this workshop.

For Year Six (ages 10-11) only.

Explore and Discover guides - primary

Our interactive booklets provide pupils with structured gallery activities.

The Variety Show

Get your students excited about the diversity, complexity and beauty of life on Earth with this interactive show.

Student observes specimen at Investigate Centre

Investigate science centre

Free workshop

Students can touch hundreds of real natural history specimens in our hands-on science centre.

Mary Anning

Meet famous Victorian fossil hunter Mary Anning and learn about fossilisation and adaptation.

Wallace and Evolution

Meet Victorian scientist and explorer Alfred Russel Wallace and learn about adaptation, life cycles and evolution by natural selection.

Adventure to the Deep Show

Come on an adventure and help our scientists explore the seas, from the sunlit corals to the midnight depths.

Pond Dipping

Take on the role of pond conservationist and explore the diverse pond life in the Museum’s beautiful Wildlife Garden.

Student takes part in Dino Scientist activity

Dino Scientists

Work out the diet, movements and habitats of ancient fossil animals in this self-led activity.

Explore and Discover free downloadable activities

Free booklets with pre-visit tips and follow-up ideas, for you to download and print before your visit.

Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14)

Cocoon

Inspire your students to learn more about the diversity of life by visiting this interactive gallery.

Rocks the House

Learn about the powerful interactions that cause volcanoes and earthquakes in this action-packed science show.

Explore and Discover guides - secondary

Support national curriculum learning with these interactive gallery guides.

Investigate science centre

Free workshop

Encourage students to be critical thinkers, developing skills in observation, generating hypotheses and collecting and assessing evidence.

The Variety Show

Get your students excited about the diversity, complexity and beauty of life on Earth with this interactive show.

Explore and Discover free downloadable activities

Free booklets with pre-visit tips and follow-up ideas, for you to download and print before your visit.

Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16)

The Great Debate

Discover how Darwin's theory of evolution shook the scientific world and stage your own great debate.

Rocks the House

Learn about the powerful interactions that cause volcanoes and earthquakes in this action-packed science show.

Explore and Discover guides - secondary

Support national curriculum learning with these interactive gallery guides.

Meet the scientist talk & Spirit Collection tour

Bring your budding biologists to meet our scientists, take guided tours and explore our exhibitions.

Cocoon

Inspire your students to learn more about the diversity of life by visiting this interactive gallery.

School visits at South Kensington

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How to book

Guidance for Home Educator groups

Early Years Foundation Stage (five years and under)

Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7)

Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11)

Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14)

Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16)

Post-16 (ages 16-18)