Sam
7 Nov 2025
I have been working with Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery recently to help develop some geology workshops for school groups.
Over the last couple of months I have been working with the fab team at the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro to help develop some geology-themed workshops for school groups that visit the museum.
The museum, formally known as the Royal Cornwall Museum, hosts several permanent collections that help explain Cornwall, its language, Cornish identity and life in the region. One of its collections is the Mineral Gallery (obviously my favourite bit!). This was refurbished in 2024, and now exhibits thousands of rock and mineral specimens from Cornwall and around the world in beautiful and informative displays. A huge part of the display includes elements of Philip Rashleigh’s mineral collection.
If you haven’t been since the refurbishment, it is worthwhile. Lots to learn and lots of shiny rocks to look at. The museum completed a further renovation earlier this year, so even if you have been before, now is a good time to go again. I spent a good while looking around the collection!
Given the wealth of the minerals and mining displays at the museum, it makes sense that they can offer some geology workshops to go alongside with other amazing learning and outreach they provide.
I have helped designed Cornwall Rocks! These are a series of workshops based around learning all about geology, with a particular emphasis on the amazing geology we have here in Cornwall, its links to Cornwall’s mining heritage, and understanding where our Earth resources come from.
Activities include a treasure hunt around the museum to search for rocks and minerals, building your own rock cycle, and making fossils from clay! All really hands-on and hopefully getting these excited young people interested in pursuing these interests further in to their lives.
The first couple of activities have now been run and have gone down really well. Feedback given shows the workshops have been well planned, resourced, and delivered by the great team at the museum.
As part of Cornwall Geologist, I provide geology and Earth science educational activities for all educational levels. If these types of exercises are something you would be interested in for your educational group please do get in touch, by emailing sam@cornwallgeologist.co.uk.
If you are a parent or know of any schools who would be interested please do pass on my details to them, or drop me an email with their contact details!