Celebrating Clay, Canals & Curiosity

Venue details
Middleport Pottery, Port St, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3PE

Join the BCB Foundations project for a celebration of clay, canals and curiosity

Join the BCB Foundations project at Middleport Pottery as we celebrate our canals and the huge part they played in The Potteries. Find out more about clay and the ceramic industry’s role in creating the canal system. We have a wide range of hands-on activities including making a model canal, building bridges and a boat-making challenge.

 

Who is this for?

The activities are suitable for children and adults of all ages and abilities. However, we do ask that children under the age of 10 are not left unsupervised.

 

When?

11am-3pm, Saturday 22 July 2023

 

Where?

Middleport Pottery, Port St, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3PE

 

What will I do?

Celebrating Clay, Canals & Curiosity will be the final public event celebrating the Foundations project which has run for three years using experiments and making to help children to learn about the science of clay. There will be hands-on activities where you can explore the different properties of clay and learn about the history of the canals and the impact the ceramics industry had on their creation.

Activities include
  • Boat-making experiment – Can clay float? Try using clay to make a boat and see if you can get it to float
  • Bridge building – Build a bridge over our canal model and see if you can make yours strong enough to support the weight of the people crossing over
  • Find out how the canals are made and help us construct our own model using clay
  • Discover some of the wildlife around the canals and make a wildflower seed bomb to help our pollinators.
We will be providing all the equipment and materials you need and will also be providing lunch, snacks and drinks throughout the day. There will be gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.

 

Do I need to book?

We don’t require booking, this is a free, drop-in event.

 

In-person Access:

There is level access to all areas where the event is taking place, although there may be some bumpier cobblestone paths. For more information about venue access, please visit the Middleport Pottery website.

If there is anything we can do to support your participation in the event please do get in touch with emma@britishceramicsbiennial.com to discuss what we can put in place for you.

 

Find out more

Learn more about the Foundations project.

Visit our What’s On page to see what other events are happening.

 

With thanks to

Foundations is funded via ‘Curiosity’, a collaboration between BBC Children in Need and Wellcome Trust. ‘Curiosity’ provides funding for organisations who want to run exciting and engaging science activities aimed at disadvantaged children and young people.