Early Years to Primary pupils in the Bilston catchment area now have a unique opportunity to learn from Bilston Craft Gallery’s ‘Fossil Fuelled – Prehistory to Powerhouse’ exhibition for free at their schools.
Thanks to a grant from the West Midlands Museum Development programme, curators have created a portable version of the Fossil Fuelled show in outreach boxes containing exhibits linked to curriculum subjects Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Maths (STEAM).
In the two-hour sessions pupils, aged from three to 11, can learn about the history of Bilston, from pre-historic times up to the 1970s; including the famous Bilston enamels, and cut steel jewellery and art metalware from local factories such as Sankey and Beldray.
During the second half of the session pupils will get creative through activities including an archaeological dig excavating real fossils just like Dr Fraser, a locally-born medic and fossil hunter, painting industrial landscapes like local artist Edwin Butler Bayliss, and creative writing in the style of Hugh Walters, a Bradley-born sci-fi writer.
Councillor John Reynolds, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, said: “This offers schools the chance to uncover the past and, in a fun and engaging way, learn how the landscape of the Black Country changed from the dawn of time, through the industrial revolution, to the 1970s.”
