Attractions with homeschooling offers

One of the most fun things I remember from my school days is going on school trips!

They are great fun and something you should definitely include in your homeschool curriculum. It will be a great excuse to get out of the house, fun for your child and still be a valuable learning experience.

The good news is that many museums and visitor attractions now cater to home educators. They offer educational resources and events that were previously reserved only for school groups. Bear in mind that dates for special events are limited and you should book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Planning a trip

How do I use a trip in my child's learning?

Come up with some brief educational goals for the visit. Think about what you want you r child to get out of the experience. This could be:

• Getting your child to see some specific items rather than just wandering around. For example you could treasure hunt worksheet to get them to find the specific items.

• Get them to practice specific skills such as investigative research or critical thinking

• Get them to build up knowledge of a period of history

Bear in mind that a visit could cover multiple subjects. For example, a history trip could also include Geography topics and vice versa.

When to go

Schools tend to go on trips later in the academic year for a few reasons:

• The teachers will have stronger relationships with and understanding of the kids. They can use to help each child get the best out of the day.

• The weather is better. An outdoor attraction is not going to be fun in September showers.

• School budgets might be less tight towards the end of the academic year

As a home educator you don't have to follow this approach (other than accounting for the weather).

Going earlier in a term or the academic year means you can refer back to the experience and the sights your child saw in many lessons. It can help make a subject feel real from them. Going later on in a topic means they will have built up some context for the sights they see.

Planning for the day

Some prep ahead of the day will help it go smoothly. Plan how you are going to get there whether that is by public transport (check for disruptions) or by car (check for parking). Larger attractions often have maps of their sites online which you could print off and use on the day. These might also be available at their reception or information desk. A map is particularly useful if you are only planning to see a portion of the attraction for example only seeing the Ancient Egyptian galleries at the British Museum. The map will help you go straight to the relevant galleries on the day giving you more time to see the sights.

Look into your lunch options. If you plan to bring a packed lunch, check if there is somewhere where you can eat it at the venue. Some smaller venues might not allow this and prefer you purchase food from their cafe.

Set expectations with your child about going to the gift shop. If you are going to allow them to spend any money at the gift shop set a budget in advance. The gift shop can be a good place for you to find some educational resources for future lessons and support smaller venues.

Visitor attractions with home education offer

Here are a list of attractions across the UK that cater to home educators. This is not an exhaustive list. If there is an attraction in your area that you'd like to visit, get in touch with them to see how they could help.

England

London

British Museum — Bloomsbury
A particularly strong option for older children. The British Museum welcomes UK home educators and offers presentations, taught workshops, creative workshops and gallery-based talks across KS2–KS4. Home educators can also access free or discounted exhibition tickets and downloadable learning resources.
British Museum – Home Educators

Natural History Museum — South Kensington
Runs dedicated Home Education Days, where families can choose from workshops, shows and talks. The next listed 2026 Home Education Day is 6 November 2026. Home educators can also make self-guided visits and access discounted learner rates for exhibitions.
Natural History Museum – Home Educator Visits

Royal Museums Greenwich — Greenwich
Runs dedicated home-education programming across its museums. A Sea and Space Explorers Home Education Day is scheduled for 4 September 2026, with object handling, a planetarium session and astronomy activities.
Royal Museums Greenwich – Home Education

RAF Museum London — Hendon
Held a dedicated Home Education Day in July 2026, aimed at ages 5–16, combining science, engineering and history through live shows, rocket-making, engineering challenges and object handling. It was sold out, suggesting this is one worth watching for future dates.
RAF Museum – Home Education Day

South East

Amberley Museum — West Sussex
One of the best dedicated offers in the South East. Amberley runs several Home Educators' Days each year with drop-in activities and experiences specially designed for home-educating families. 2026 dates include 16 September and 18 November. Train and bus rides are included.
Amberley Museum – Home Educators' Day

Weald & Downland Living Museum — West Sussex
Runs full-day Home Education Workshops throughout the year. Upcoming 2026 themes include Nature Explorer, Tudor Fun and Games, Magic and Medicine and A Very Victorian Christmas.
Weald & Downland – Home Education

Powell-Cotton Museum — Kent
Runs dedicated Home Education Days, with the museum closed to the general public for the sessions. Upcoming dates include 24 September and 22 October 2026, with themed hands-on activities and a quiet hour from 10–11am.
Powell-Cotton Museum – Home Education Days

Royal Engineers Museum — Kent
Runs dedicated Home Education Days involving hands-on workshops using the museum's collection. The 2026 programme has included topics such as the Crimean War and code-breaking, with another session on the Berlin Wall scheduled for 4 November 2026.
Royal Engineers Museum – Learning & Home Education Days

Marwell Wildlife — Hampshire
Not a specific event day, but an excellent home-education admission offer: discounted home-educator rates are available Monday–Friday during Hampshire term time. A carer can also receive free admission for a home-educated child with additional needs, subject to evidence.
Marwell Wildlife – Home Education

Army Flying Museum — Hampshire
Runs dedicated themed sessions. A First World War Home Educator Day is scheduled for 6 November 2026, with interactive activities, a poppy trail and aviation history for ages 8–13.
Army Flying Museum – Home Educator Sessions

East of England

Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Cambridge — Cambridge
Held a dedicated Home Educators event in June 2026 for ages 7–11, focused on Roman Britain. It included artefact handling, Roman pottery identification, talks and independent gallery exploration.
University of Cambridge Museums – Home Educators Events

Strangers' Hall — Norwich
Norfolk Museums Service specifically welcomes home-educated children. During term time, pre-booked home-educated children receive free admission, with one accompanying adult free per child.
Norfolk Museums – Home-educated children at Strangers' Hall

There is also a First World War Home Education Workshop listed in Norfolk for 11 November 2026, so Norfolk is worth watching for additional museum-based sessions.

East Midlands

National Space Centre — Leicester
One of the strongest science offers outside London. Dedicated Home Education Days are held three times a year, with hands-on activities, expert talks and a planetarium show. The next listed date is 10 September 2026, for ages 6–14.
National Space Centre – Home Education Days

National Museum of Computing — Bletchley, Buckinghamshire
Dedicated Home Educator Days feature programming, robotics and engineering activities. The museum is closed to the general public for these days, with quiet areas specifically provided for home educators, including accessibility for children with SEND.
National Museum of Computing – Home Educators

West Midlands

Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum
Runs termly Home Education Days. These include special admission pricing and free drop-in activities from the Learning Team. Recent programming has included sensory activities, planetarium tasters, LEGO challenges, forensic investigation, object handling and kitchen science.
Thinktank – Home Education Day

Herbert Art Gallery & Museum — Coventry
Held a dedicated Home Educators Day in July 2026 around dinosaurs, natural sciences and environmental themes, with facilitated workshops, drop-in activities and creative challenges.
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum – Home Educators Day

Yorkshire & the Humber

Royal Armouries — Leeds
Runs dedicated Home Education Days for KS2. Upcoming themes include Romans, Saxons & Vikings and the First World War. Activities include handling weapons and armour, immersive storytelling, historical role-play and practical activities. Tickets are £5 per child, with accompanying adults free.
Royal Armouries – Home Education Days

Leeds Museums & Galleries
This is particularly good because it isn't just one museum: the learning team offers home-education workshops across eight venues. Upcoming events include workshops and exclusive film screenings, and they specifically ask about SEND requirements when booking.
Leeds Museums – Home Education

National Coal Mining Museum for England — Wakefield
Has a substantial ongoing programme of monthly Home Education Workshops, split into 7–12 and 12–16 age groups. Topics include wartime history, geology, science, engineering, art and wellbeing.
National Coal Mining Museum – Home Education Workshops

Eureka! The National Children's Museum
Runs at least one Home Educator Day per term, with no school bookings on those days. Families get workshops, demonstrations and themed activities in a quieter environment. 2026 dates include 24 September and 9 December.
Eureka! – Home Educators

North West

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre
Runs dedicated Home Education Days with hands-on science and engineering workshops. Recent programmes have included bridge building, astronomy and chemistry.
Catalyst – Home Education Days

Forest Explorers — Cheshire
A different kind of visitor attraction, offering one-off home education events on subjects including Vikings, Stone Age, bushcraft, wildlife, survival, navigation and woodcraft, plus a monthly 11–16 home education group.
Forest Explorers – Home Education

Quarry Bank — Cheshire
The National Trust site specifically includes home educators within its educational offer, with facilitated mill and Apprentice House experiences, nature activities and history learning. Visits need to be pre-booked.
National Trust – Quarry Bank Educational Visits

National Museums Liverpool
National Museums Liverpool has a dedicated Home Educators programme covering its museums and galleries, with workshops scheduled during 2026.
National Museums Liverpool – Home Educators