Braintree Museum Holiday Club
These days are free to attend and include breakfast and a hot lunch for each child.
Young Curators:
The holiday club’s Young Curators have been busy working on projects to help with the museum exhibitions and garden. The children created numerous resources to be displayed in the summer 2025 exhibition, ‘Extinction!’. The holiday club created ceramic tiles with images of animals that are extinct or at risk of extinction. These have been put up permanently by the kitchen and toilets. They also created dinosaurs, puffins, a hedgehog and other fossils to feature in the museum. They used entirely recycled and donated materials and were very proud of the work they created!
Other projects they have participated in includes recreating the John Ray and St Osyth Silver End doll. This was in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the opening of Silver End and as part of the ‘Art Deco and Beyond!’ exhibition. This involved learning about the two people, designing what they should wear and then sewing their clothes!
The holiday club’s mission for 2025 was to ‘learn more about climate change and the environment through engagement with our community garden’. We have dedicated a full day a week to this for with themes such as ‘Welcome Spring!’ and ‘World Earth Day!’. The children helped create our gravel garden with help from our resident gardener, Jane. This involved digging through hard ground to make suitable room for the plants, planting and watering them. They also planted peppers, decorated plant pots and learnt about the impact we have on the environment is doing to insects and our food supplies.
Special Guests:
Throughout the last two years, we have welcomed many special guests to the holiday club. Ranging from authors to police officers, fossil experts to birdwatchers and illustrators to air ambulance workers. Many have visited the holiday club to talk about their jobs and passions! Some key highlights were a visit the High Sheriff of Essex, Julie Fosh, who explained the ‘pricking ceremony’ that all High Sheriffs do when they join their role. Mrs Fosh then participated in our arty activities and explored the new museum exhibit Extinction! The children were very excited to meet her and show off all their hard work. Following her visit, the High Sheriff posted a short reel about the holiday club and their contributions to the museum exhibit: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1305709604497128
The holiday club welcomed illustrator Rob Flowers on multiple occasions! This year, the children had the opportunity to take part in narrating a video about John Ray and how we can combat climate change. This is a topic the children have explored greatly so were eager to participate. Rob then illustrated plants in our garden speaking as the children. It was very interesting for the children to meet an illustrator as many of them are passionate artists and want to pursue a creative career. See below what Rob has created for us! John Ray – Braintree Museum
Holiday Club on the Big Screen!
This summer, the holiday club participated in filming by Comic Relief as part of their next programme. The cinematographer and photographer joined us on our Pokemon themed day to see fun activities we do in the holiday club. Several children were interviewed and had their photos taken for the programme. The children showed off their artistic skills, team work in the playground and even what they have for lunch. We now excitedly await its debut on the television next year. Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, we only showed very briefly on the show. The holiday club still really appreciated the experience and have even been asked to star again. Our section begins at 1 hour and 44 minutes Comic Relief – 2026: Funny for Money – BBC iPlayer
Feedback from Parents:
‘The museum club is amazing, it’s fantastic to have somewhere for my son to go where I know he is safe and looked after.’
‘Amazing team of adults running the holiday club!’
‘We value the hours the holiday club runs and including breakfast and lunch. Very helpful for working single mums!’
‘Braintree museum is great, friendly and my son loves going. staff need a proper praise above and beyond work they do’
‘We love the Braintree Museum club. Its a safe, secure place where the children are so well looked after. The staff are lovely and organise stimulating activities. My son appreciates the extra food they provide too.’
Braintree Museum started this project during the pandemic in December 2021, running nine successful Braintree Museum Holiday Club over the course of three school holidays. We have continued to deliver these sessions and now deliver over 40 sessions a year, supporting a total of 899 children in 2024!
This project is being delivered in partnership between Braintree District Museum Trust, Braintree District Council, Active Essex and the Feeding Britain Fund all sharing similar values in wanting to provide cultural access, improve people’s quality of life and give equal opportunities for all.
For more information, please contact Bethany: bethany.smith@bdmt.org.uk
