Important Update: 23 October 2020

Manchester Museum is now open to the public between 11-4 from Wednesday to Sundays.

Self-led visits: Given the current COVID-19 situation and to help keep pupils, students, staff and the public safe we are unable to accommodate self-led visits from school and college parties. We will review this decision again when we are able to move out of tier three restrictions. We will look to review this decision half termly and hope to welcome school / college group visitors back as soon as it is safe to do so.

On Gallery Resources

We hope that the resources listed below will help you to structure your self-led visit.

Please note: booking is essential for all visits. This helps us ensure that you can see and do everything you need to when you come to us.  To avoid disappointment, we recommend that you book well in advance. Unbooked groups may not be able to access all of the galleries.

Early Years Resources

Our Explorer Sacks provide stories, poems, looking tools, toys and puppets to help you explore the animals and dinosaurs in Manchester Museum with younger children. Please book in advance to reserve them for your group.

We have suggested activities for Early Years groups in our Dinosaur Trail and Animals Trail.

Primary School Resources

Gallery-Specific Resources

• Beauty and the Beasts: Insects and Science
• Beauty and the Beasts: Story Competition (until 9 March 2020)
• Living Worlds Gallery
• Nature's Library Gallery

Drawing from Nature

Use these teacher notes to combine art and science during your visit to the Museum, designed to be used after an Art School: Draw visit to the Whitworth on the same day.

Themed Resources

• Dinosaurs: I am not a dinosaur! | Rot or Not? | Comparing Creatures
• Maths in the Museum 1: Measuring in the Museum
• Maths in the Museum 2: Its about time
• Gallery Games: short activity ideas for use in any gallery
• Structures in the Museum: a design challenge using the whole museum

Back in School

Use these incredible child-authored videos to explore how a museum works scientifically.

Primary School Ideas

Activity ideas for you to adapt and use with your pupils

• Beauty and the Beasts: Story Competition (until 9 March 2020)
• Classification and Animals including humans
• Living Things, Habitats and Evolution
• Fossils

Get more ideas for how primary schools can work with us.

KS3 Resources

Science

• Vivarium - Adaptations
• Nature's Library Gallery Selective Breeding
• Nature's Library Gallery Classification

KS3/4 Resources

Science

• Fossils Gallery Timeline
• Living Worlds Tour
• Living Worlds Exploration
• Fossil Gallery - Past, Present and Future

Humanities 

For a selection of quick and fun activities for students on our galleries, try our self-led enrichment activity suggestions.

KS4 Resources

Science

• Fossil Gallery Mass Extinction

Art Cards allow students to produce large amounts of observational drawings direct from the Museum collection on gallery. They work directly with core GCSE requirements and skills and resources are fun, accessible and quick-paced. 

• Living Worlds