WEBS Teachers' Resources ebook_final | Page 152

The Victorian era and Industrial Revolution � Who were the Victorians? The Victorian age in British history is named after Queen Victoria, who was Britain's queen from 1837 until 1901. What was life like for Victorian children? There were big differences in homes, schools, toys and entertainments. No TV, no computers, no central heating, no cars (until the last few years of Victoria's reign). No air travel - unless you went up in a balloon! Many children went to work, not to school. Welcome to the Victorian world. It's time to find out how children lived more than a hundred years ago. � The British Empire Britain ruled the British Empire. Victoria was Empress of India as well as Queen of Britain, Canada (the biggest country in the Empire) and small countries such as Jamaica. Trade with the Empire helped make Britain rich. Some British children emigrated with their families to new homes in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. Children were taught about the Empire in school. In Victorian classrooms, children could easily find the countries of the Empire on a map because they were coloured pink or red. Countries of the commonwealth today. AfricaBotswana Cameroon Ghana Kenya Lesotho Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Swaziland Uganda United Republic of Tanzania Zambia Asia Bangladesh Brunei Darussalam India Malaysia Maldives Pakistan Singapore Sri Lanka Caribbean and AmericasAntigua and Barbuda Bahamas, The Barbados Belize Canada Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Saint Lucia St Kitts and Nevis St Vincent and The Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago