Essential information
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Key Stage |
Key Stage 2
|
| Curriculum links |
Art
History
Science
|
| Session length | 90 minutes |
| Session times | Wednesdays, 10.30-12.00 13.00-14.30 |
| Session dates | 11 November, 10 February, 10 March, 12 May, 14 July |
| Capacity | 30 pupils per group |
| Price | £90 per session, free for Greenwich and Lewisham state schools |
Session overview
Enquiry question: How are colours in paintings and textiles made and conserved?
In the Learning Space, learners:
- Discuss the purpose of the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre (PPMCC) and what happens here
- Look at different textiles in groups and find out how they are conserved
In the painting conservation studio, learners:
- Talk to a conservator about their job and how they work with objects
In the Learning Space, learners:
- Take part in a mixing experiment with paint and dye
- Make predictions, follow methods and discuss their results/findings
Learning objectives
Learners will:
- Understand properties and changes of materials by exploring the difference between pigments and dyes
- Consider properties of solubility and transparency and that some materials will dissolve in liquid
- Filter materials and see separation
- See that dissolving, mixing and changes of state can be reversible changes
Curriculum links
- Develop techniques, including their control and use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design
- Compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties
- Know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution
- Use knowledge to predict how mixtures might be separated
- Demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes
Key words
Colour, paint, pigment, dye, soluble, transparent, dissolve, separate, filtration, mixing, permanent, reversible, state, conservation
Suggested pre-visit knowledge and activities
This session works best for learners if they have already used vocabulary such as soluble, insoluble, dissolve, solution, translucent and opaque. Give small samples of sugar, salt, flour, sand and oil. Ask learners to predict which will dissolve in water.
Suggested post-visit knowledge and activities
We encourage schools to experiment with dissolving salt and/or sugar in water, then leaving the solution to evaporate in order to recover the solute. This simple investigation supports learners’ understanding of reversible changes and solutions.
Useful links
Conservation at Royal Museums Greenwich
The conservation process: A Royal Visit to the Fleet