Year 2
Gaining independence
The Great Fire of London at The National Archives
Having The National Archives on our doorstep allows Year 2 the perfect opportunity to examine historical documents
to bring their discoveries about The Great Fire of London to life.
The children became real historians
for the morning. They examined old
maps and tax documents to gather
evidence to support and develop
their skills of historical enquiry. They
were excited to pinpoint the famous
Pudding Lane on their maps. Close
examination of tax documents confirmed who the baker was at that
time and how many ovens he had.
Being allowed access to documents
that were over three hundred and
fifty years old fascinated the children!
They also impressed the Archive
Teachers with their prior knowledge
and spoke confidently about their
findings and ideas.
Victorian Workshop at Holly Lodge
The visit to Holly Lodge, in the stunning surroundings of Richmond Park, supported the Year
2’s History topic about the Victorians.
The centre is run by friendly volunteers who
talked to the children about some of the domestic changes that have happened since their greatgrandparents were young. One of the workshops
took place in a Victorian schoolroom. Children
had to follow strict rules and write neatly using
pens and ink wells. There were lots of artefacts
that the pupils were able to handle, enabling
them to make comparisons with their modern
day equivalents. The children were then ‘put to
work’ in the dispensing chemist of an authentic
Victorian Pharmacy. Each child was given the
opportunity to make their own pills using the
tools that would have been in used in Victorian
times.
Later, they examined photographs to see if they could identify rich and
poor people from the era. Finally they visited the laundry to experience
washing and cleaning using Victorian equipment. Our boys and girls all
agreed it was a fantastic trip and they gained a practical understanding
of how life has changed in the last 150 years.
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