During the school Summer Holidays of 2021, The Rifles Museum hosted a wide range of fun family activities. These included crafts, such as making swords, medals and Riflemen dolls, and camouflaged-themed colouring. However, because of restrictions due to social distancing, our activities could not yet be hosted in the Museum. So, instead of our usual Make & Takes, we switched to Take and Makes!

We put together activity packs, containing all the key components to create each craft project – such as templates, card, stickers, coloured paper and other supplies. These could then be picked up by visitors in the Museum and made at home.

Activities also included handouts, explaining the topics behind the crafts. For example, why bayonets are known as swords in The Rifles and what medals a Rifleman might be awarded today. Additionally, activities came with themed colouring and Rifles stickers.

Camouflage Colouring was a free activity, which ran in the Museum for the last two weeks of the Summer Holiday. It featured colouring sheets based around real military camo patterns, animals that use natural camouflage and soldiers dressed in camo uniforms.

Each craft activity, Medal Making, Sword Making and Riflemen Dolls, proved popular, with many packs going home with visitors. However, we still have some packs for next time. If you missed out on the Summer Holiday activities in 2021, look out for them, potentially, in 2022!

Many thanks to all of you who donated to The Rifles Museum. Your generosity helps to fund future family activities and other events. We hope soon to be able to return to hosting events in the Museum.