Magical Matilda Summer at the Roald Dahl Museum, Great Missenden

Activity Description

Calling all Matilda fans! Get set for a summer to remember. We’ll be celebrating our 20th birthday throughout the summer holidays with a whole host of Matilda-themed workshops, walks and activities.

There will be free activities running each day, including:
– Matilda storytelling from our expert storytellers
– Crunchem Hall playground games including Matilda V Trunchbull Connect 4
– Matilda’s Missenden Trail to pick up and explore the village
– Matilda gallery trail and drop-in craft activities
– Hands-on water play in the courtyard

As well as these, there are a number of exclusive workshops including:

Goodies and Baddies Clay Creations
Thursday 24 and Friday 25 July. Tuesday 12 to Friday 15 August. Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 August
£5 per participant
Sculpt a character out of clay, either a big baddie or a small hero – just like Miss Trunchbull and Matilda. You’ll learn about the characters in the story before you get stuck in, then take time to model your statue. And don’t worry, we’ll do the tidying up!

Meet Miss Trunchbull
Thursday 24 July, Thursday 14 August and Saturday 23 August
Included in admission
Join us for one of our special Trunchbull days, where Miss Agatha Trunchbull will be roaming around the site at various points in the day. Will she pose with her nemesis Matilda, measure up against the other Roald Dahl characters or put her feet up in Roald Dahl’s chair? If you’re well behaved, she might even let you take a picture with her. Why not come dressed up as Matilda or Bruce?

Miss Honey’s Magical Garden
Tuesday 29 to Thursday 31 July, Friday 1 August
£5 per participant
Create a model of a gorgeous garden inspired by the book Matilda. Matilda thought Miss Honey’s cottage, set deep in the woods, looked like something out of a fairytale. Learn more about the story then use natural materials to complete your design and turn it in to a magical place, just like Miss Honey did.

Mr Wormwood’s Junkyard Cars
Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 August
£5 per participant
Make your own moving vehicle that could take pride of place on the forecourt of Mr Wormwood’s garage! Learn about Matilda’s dad and the cars he sold before inventing your own automobile. Everyone will get a set of wheels and axles as a base and then you can build with recycled materials from there. A perfect activity for the whole family – why not challenge them to a race when you get home?

Matilda’s Superpowers Storyboard
Thursday 21 and Friday 22 August
£7 per participant
You’ll find out how Roald Dahl created the story of Matilda, and see how the story changed dramatically over time, before dreaming-up your own hero with powers, tricks and enemies! You’ll get all your ideas down on paper and end up with a brilliant storyboard for your new tale. You’ll come away from the workshop brimming with ideas and great new techniques for creating stories and generating ideas.

Trunchbull’s Flying Tricks
Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 August
£5 per participant
Join in with a hands-on science session inspired by all the things that Trunchbull makes fly through the air! Join in with experiments as we investigate what flies the furthest as well as what launches up the highest. There will be plenty of opportunity for everyone to have a go but don’t worry, it’s safe to wear pigtails…

Marvellous Matilda Walk
Friday 29 August
£5 per participant
Explore the village that inspired so much of Matilda. Head out of the Museum with your guide Michael and discover the High Street and Library that inspired parts of the story, and peek at the wondrous surrounding countryside. Enjoy extracts from the book bought to life by Michael as you go along.

PLUS: Don’t forget that you Museum admission includes entry for 12 months, so you can come back and enjoy the Museum time after time!