School Visits

Bring your classes on a school visit to Hopetoun House, near Edinburgh, to experience life as a servant in Victorian times.

The Education Team offer full day indoor workshops aimed at Primary One to Primary Seven pupils and are linked to the Curriculum for Excellence.

Most workshops involve activities with drama, costume and role play as standard; the environmental elements involve both indoor activities and forays into the extensive parkland. If required, elements from different workshops can be tailored to create an individual workshop for your pupils.

Indoor Education for Schools

We offer 3 full day Indoor Workshops that relate to the Curriculum for Excellence. These are:

  • Education at Hopetoun - Victorian WorkshopHomes and Houses (groups up to 60 pupils)
  • Victorian Workshop (up to 33 pupils)
  • Victorians at Hopetoun (between 33 and 60 pupils)

 

Curriculum areas covered:

  • Comparison between Past and Present Lifestyles
  • Diversity of Lifestyles
  • Differences between Rich and Poor
  • Features of Life in the Past
  • Features of Victorian Society
  • People and Place
  • Preserving the Past
  • Meaning of ‘Heritage'
  • Developing Informed Attitudes

Homes and Houses (up to 60 pupils)

In the morning, pupils dress in period costume and visit the House to explore what a ‘home' was like 200 years ago and to discover just how different day to day life back then was from daily life now. In the afternoon the idea of ‘homes' is developed with the Ranger Service as the pupils explore the magnificent parkland to discover what lives there and how.

Victorian Workshop (up to 33 pupils)
Led by the suitably strict Housekeeper and dressed in period costume, pupils take on the role of servants to discover what life was really like ‘below stairs' in Victorian times. This is followed by an afternoon of Victorian activities featuring quill penning, flat ironing and butter making in the Butler's Pantry.
Victorians at Hopetoun (between 33 and 60 pupils)
This activity is for bigger groups of between 33 and 60 children; it allows them to experience a variety of activities from Houses and Homes and the Victorian Workshop. The pupils are split into smaller groups and dress up in costume for a drama and mime sessions in the House. They also explore the grounds and play Victorian games outside (weather permitting), followed by a quill penning session. This option allows larger groups to explore and experience Victorian Life at Hopetoun inside and out, upstairs and downstairs.

Outdoor Education for Schools

The Parkland at Hopetoun is an ideal location for Environmental Studies. Three full day workshops are available that can accommodate groups of up to 33 children covering aspects of the 5-14 Curriculum in Environmental Studies.

  • Outdoor Education at HopetounMinibeast Safari and Pond Dipping
  • Rocky Shore Studies and The Hopetoun Parkland

 

Curriculum Areas Covered

  • Variety and Characteristic Features
  • Processes of Life
  • Interaction of Living Things and the Environment
  • Using Maps
  • The Physical Environment
  • People and Place
  • Developing Informed Attitudes


Minibeast Safari and Pond Dipping
An introduction to vertebrates and the world they live in. Followed by an exploration of the underwater world of freshwater invertebrates, food chains and how humans fit into the world.

Rocky Shore Studies and The Hopetoun Parkland
West Lothian's only rocky shore study uncovers the world of the foreshore followed by an exploration of the historically and ecologically diverse Grounds at Hopetoun.

We can also, on request, lead pupils on an orienteering activity, which is an exercise in fitness and teamwork.

Available for groups of up to 33 children.