Perfect for groups such as Rainbows, Beavers Brownies, Cubs, and other youth organisations, our museum sessions offer an engaging and educational experience focused on local history and the natural world of the Great Ouse river and its surrounding wildlife.

These sessions are designed to be hands-on and fun, with a variety of activities which may include:
– Interactive games
– Creative crafts
– Handling real museum artefacts
– Time to explore our interactive museum galleries

Offered in June and July in partnership with the St Ives Electric Riverboat Company, this session celebrates the wildlife of the River Great Ouse. Create your own fish-shaped clay tile using stamps and tools, explore the museum and play with toys and games in the museum garden, and top it all off with a scenic riverboat trip—perfect for spotting birds, insects, and more!

Step back 160 million years to a time when this area was beneath a warm Jurassic sea! Dig for real fossils in rubber chippings, create a clay ammonite to take home, play fossil-themed games, and explore books full of ancient sea creatures. A perfect session for budding palaeontologists!

Meet the Ice Age giants that once roamed our landscape. Make your own woolly mammoth puppet, examine a real mammoth tooth and baby tusk, and search the gallery for actual mammoth hair! Examine different photos of animal hair taken with a microscope and see if you can work out which hair belongs to which creature.

Make Roman-style owl brooches, using gold and silver card, gem stickers, and pencils for ‘etching’ your own designs. Discover why animals were so important to the Romans and explore their fascinating symbolism. You’ll also get the chance to handle real Roman artefacts and enjoy more Roman-themed games and activities.

Discover how the Norris Museum began—with one man’s extraordinary collection! Explore mystery artefacts, guess their uses, and learn how small collections can grow into whole museums. Then craft your own miniature cabinet of curiosity to fill with treasures.

Travel through time with toys! Explore and play with toys from different eras; Victorian dolls, retro board games, classic teddies, and more. Then make your own thaumatrope, a spinning optical toy from the past, to take home and amaze your friends.

Offered in May, June, and July. Venture inside St Ives’ iconic Bridge Chapel and stand on its historic balcony! Discover how this tiny building has been a place of prayer, a toll booth, and much more! Depending on time, the session includes a museum visit or a guided walk through key historical spots in town.