How to book the Life exhibition
Helping churches engage primary schools with confidence.
For many churches, engaging local primary schools can feel daunting. Questions around suitability, safeguarding, curriculum relevance and confidence often create hesitation. The Life exhibition was developed to address those concerns, offering a way for churches to serve schools with a professionally produced, well-supported resource that helps children encounter the story of Jesus in an accessible and age-appropriate way.
Designed primarily for Year 5 and 6 pupils, the Life exhibition can also be adapted for Years 3 and 4. It provides an immersive learning experience that complements RE lessons and locally agreed syllabuses, while encouraging pupils to think for themselves about who Jesus was, what He taught, and why His story still matters today.
What is the Life exhibition?
The Life exhibition is a multimedia experience made up of interactive pods, films, quizzes, songs and a discussion café. Using tablets, headphones, graphic panels and QR codes, children are invited to explore the story of Jesus through sight, sound and participation.
Rather than being talked at, pupils are encouraged to listen, watch, respond and reflect. Many teachers describe the Life exhibition as both engaging and memorable, noting that it enriches classroom learning without feeling like a traditional lesson. As one teacher put it, “It was the best RE lesson ever!” Children frequently ask when the exhibition is coming back, or what else the team does.
What sets the Life exhibition apart is its tone. It is Christ centred without being evangelistic, invitational rather than instructional, and carefully designed to respect the classroom setting.
How does the Life exhibition work?
Hosting the Life exhibition is designed to be straightforward, with clear support at every stage. The process involves five main steps:
Sharing the vision – Churches begin by showing a short promotional video to their congregation or local church network.
A site visit – A member of the Life exhibition team visits the venue to answer questions and help churches visualise how the exhibition will work in their space.
Planning and preparation – Once dates are agreed, churches receive detailed information packs covering safeguarding, scheduling and practical arrangements.
Inviting schools and volunteers – Local schools are invited and volunteers recruited.
Training and delivery – Volunteers attend a local training session and are then ready to host the Life exhibition.
Throughout the process, churches are supported by the Counties Life exhibition team. Even practical details such as coat racks and hangers are provided, allowing hosts to focus on welcome, hospitality and relationship-building rather than logistics.
A shared effort
Volunteers play a vital role in making the Life exhibition work, and roles are matched carefully to people’s confidence and skills. Some volunteers enjoy talking with children and answering questions; others prefer practical or behind-the scenes tasks. From guiding groups through the exhibition to serving drinks in the café, there is a role for everyone who wants to be involved!
This flexibility means churches of different sizes and experiences can host the Life exhibition with confidence, including those engaging schools for the first time.
Inside the Life exhibition
The Life exhibition is structured into four connected areas, each exploring a different aspect of the Christian understanding of Jesus.
Introduction: Pupils are welcomed and shown a short film that introduces the themes of the Life exhibition and sets the scene for what they will explore.
The Pods: Children then move through a series of coloured pods, using tablets and headphones to explore interactive content. These pods cover key themes from Jesus’ life, including His historical and prophetic roots, His teaching and His miracles. Volunteers are present to support and respond to questions, but the emphasis remains on guided exploration rather than instruction. Teachers frequently comment on how effective the use of technology within the Life exhibition is. Tablets and QR codes help pupils feel that the experience has been designed for them, encouraging engagement without the sense of being formally taught.
Life Giver: In this section of the Life exhibition, pupils watch a carefully produced film exploring the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. The content is handled with sensitivity, balancing depth with care. Teachers often note the maturity of pupils’ responses and the thoughtful conversations this part of the exhibition prompts.
The Café: The final space within the Life exhibition allows pupils to relax with a drink, take part in an interactive quiz and reflect together on what they have experienced. There is no pressure to give “right answers”. Instead, children are encouraged to express their own thoughts and questions about Jesus.
What impact does the Life exhibition have?
Feedback from schools consistently highlights how much pupils enjoy the interactive nature of the Life exhibition, and how valuable teachers find the discussion elements. Parents also appreciate the opportunity for learning to continue beyond the classroom.
One church in County Durham hosted the Life exhibition over three days, welcoming 240 pupils from three local schools. A headteacher commented:
“The children have really enjoyed learning about Jesus in such a fun and interactive way. It was a great enrichment activity for everyone. There was a real buzz about the whole day.”
Not all impact is immediate or easily measured. Some of the most encouraging stories connected to the Life exhibition are shared years later: teachers recommending the exhibition to colleagues, volunteers discovering new confidence in speaking about faith, or children recalling specific songs or questions long after their visit. These moments may seem small, but together they reflect steady and faithful fruit.
What’s next?
At its heart, the Life exhibition exists to equip churches to engage schools and young people with confidence and care. It creates space for curiosity, conversation and reflection, often for children encountering the story of Jesus for the first time. In the future, we hope to expand the Life exhibition further. With additional team capacity, we could develop a schools-only version enabling the resource to reach more children and travel more widely.
For now, the Life exhibition continues to offer churches a thoughtful, well-supported way to serve their communities, helping the story of Jesus to be heard clearly, respectfully and memorably.
Could your church host the Life exhibition for your local primary school children? Find out more at lifeexpo.co.uk or contact Kevin Baldwin lifeexpo@countiesuk.org