Benaki Museum in Athens, Attica, Greece | Museum

Benaki Museum in Athens, Aegean Sea, Greece,
ranks among the major institutions that have enriched the material assets of the Greek state. It is also the oldest Museum in Greece operating as a Foundation under Private Law. Through its extensive collections that cover several different cultural fields and its more general range of activities serving more than one social need, the Benaki Museum is perhaps the sole instance of a complex structure within the broader network of Museum foundations in Greece.
The Benaki Museum in Athens, Aegean Sea, was the first Greek Museum to offer educational programmes for children, creating the Department of Educational Programmes in 1978.
These programmes are aimed at pupils of primary and secondary schools and focus on the Museum collections of Prehistoric, Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, post-Byzantine and neo-Hellenic (Post-Byzantine secular Greek) artefacts, as well as paintings, drawings and prints.
Schoolchildren between the ages of four and seventeen are introduced to Greek culture and contemporary art through the use of audio-visual equipment and specially produced materials while, at the same time, they become acquainted with the Museum environment. Museum educators bring the exhibits to life, encouraging children to make observations, ask questions, express opinions and act independently. The programmes can be adapted to cater for individuals with special needs.
The Department maintains close working ties with teachers and educational experts. It loans out materials to prepare for Benaki Museum visits and organises special educational tours, which permit teachers to guide their own groups around the Museum. The Department also has the capacity to arrange for teachers to borrow related publications and Museum kits.
Additionally, visitors from schools and educational authorities are invited to familiarise themselves with the Benaki Museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions on their own, using supervisory material provided by the Department of Educational Programmes.