What are museum loan boxes?

Loan boxes contain genuine artefacts, photographs and documents, with the occasional replica item. Please note that all items in the Egyptian and Greek boxes are replicas.

The items are very securely packed in custom-made, suitcase-sized boxes so they can sit safely in the corner of your classroom, ready to be used.

Boxes are delivered to your school during the first week of term and collected during the last week of term.

Download our box loans catalogue (pdf format, 8.2MB) to view availability.

Cost

Cost per term: £39. Boxes must be ordered before the term starts for free delivery.

Although this rarely happens, please note there is a £20 per item breakage charge. 

How to book a box loan

To book a box loan or multiple box loans, please complete the online booking form.

How the boxes help learning

The boxes are an ideal starting point for launching creative learning: promoting and developing observation, critical thinking, problem-solving, questioning and empathising skills. They are also ideal for stimulating creative writing, art and design.

The learner can engage their senses by feeling the weight and texture of an object, or examining its mechanisms and surface finishes, listening to the sounds it makes when tapped or moved and even smelling it to see if that gives us a clue to its use.

Teacher's pack

All loans boxes come with a Teacher’s Pack. This includes background historical information about each object, ready to use resources and ideas for the use of the box in the classroom across both the entire curriculum and age range.

Memory sticks with additional activities, audio files, oral histories, object images, and digital teachers pack.

Although some boxes are closely linked to a specific historical period, others have a broader theme that lends itself to particular activities such as, storytelling, art or science.

Due to the length of time the box is on loan, there are plenty of opportunities for a box to visit several classrooms and be used in many different contexts

A loans box can be a cost-effective and inspiring way to create an old-fashioned ‘awe and wonder’ element in the school day.

The items in the school’s loans boxes are fragile and usually irreplaceable. It is essential that children and adults are advised of this and asked to handle the items with respect. Ensure that the items are always closely supervised by a member of staff and handled with care over a table to minimise the risk of damage or breakage.

Find out more

To book a workshop complete the the online booking form

If you would like to discuss anything regarding the services offered by Learning and Access in more detail, please contact us