TERRIFIC TREES FAMILY EVENT
JOIN US FOR A MORNING OF FUN TREE-THEMED GAMES AND CRAFT ACTIVITIES IN THE MERL GARDEN. SESSIONS ARE SUITABLE FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGED 3 – 11* AND WILL INCLUDE: Paint with natural paint brushes and have a go at leaf printing Twig frames; twig pencil holder; create your own twig art. (Ages 6 +)* Identify the […]
THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY FARMING
Visit the Museum’s open access stores and find an innovative exploration of contemporary art and farming! The Museum of Contemporary Farming is an artwork made on Twitter with the help of the public. Artist Georgina Barney has worked with farmer and artist Kate Genever to record aspects of farming that are hard to capture, with a selection of proposals on display. Also […]
HALF TERM HOLIDAYS AT THE MERL
VISIT THE MUSEUM DURING THE HOLIDAYS FOR TRAILS, OBJECT HANDLING AND ACTIVITIES Visit the galleries during your holidays and discover the exciting displays and interactive games Try out our Rat and Rodent Trail Get your hands on real museum objects with our Object Handling volunteers Free Make and Take activities Have a go at making a brass rubbing […]
A CELEBRATION OF CHILDREN’S BOOKS
The Children’s Book Award presented by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups is the only national award of its type voted for solely by children. Drawing on collections held by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, the Children’s Collection held by University of Reading Special Collections Service and the Museum of English Rural Life, this […]
WORKING LIFE: BELIEF, CUSTOM, RITUAL, NARRATIVE
All of the conference talks will take place in Room L22 G01 of the University of Reading, London Road Campus (5 mins walk from the Museum) (Full programme and booking information) Programme Summary Friday 27th 13.00 Registration opens at University of Reading, London Road campus, Room L22 G01 14:00 Welcome to the conference, by Dr […]
SPRING CHICKENS
Join us for a day of fun games, craft activities, live music… and chickens! Live music from The Newtowners Meet the MERL chickens and their friends Meet poultry keepers – Members of the Reading & District Bantam Society will be showcasing their birds Egg and Spoon races Egg Rolling – decorate and egg and roll it […]
NOW ONLINE: EASTER HOLIDAYS AT THE MERL
Online Easter Programme We’ve moved our Easter holiday events programme online! If you were looking forward to visiting The MERL this Easter, look out for online activities that will be posted here and on social media throughout the holidays! 11am – Tuesday 7th & 14th April– Virtual & Reality Pull up a seat, climb on […]
KNIT A SONG OF SHEEP BELLS
What to expect: This workshop speaks to the sheep bells in the collection at the MERL. Participants will create a set of jingly stitch markers and knit a small sheep bell based on one from the collection. The stitch markers will be recorded in action, along with participants’ thoughts on sheep bells and knitting bells. […]
LADYBIRD IN FOCUS: MAKING AND CRAFT
Do you enjoy making and crafting? Do you Knit, Sew or Upcycle regular household items into new things? Making and craft was a popular theme for Ladybird, appearing across multiple series and allowing the creation of a subsection of the Hobbies and Interests series entitled ‘How to make’. The crafts within these series focus primarily […]
KNIT A SONG OF SILKWORMS
What to expect: This workshop speaks to a book held in the collection of the MERL, documenting the process of silk-farming at Lullingstone, Kent. Participants will knit an extremely fine i-cord bracelet using reeled silk grown on Lullingstone silk farm and pairs of extremely fine needles. Thoughts on working with this material will be recorded. […]