Bringing history 'alive' in the classroom.
That was the aim of a 'brilliant' Tudor Day, which has inspired children at one Lowestoft primary school.
Youngsters in years five and six at Woods Loke Primary School enjoyed a special series of workshops last Wednesday – as five rooms were transformed with authentic tales and artefacts from yester-year.
With the children wearing Tudor costumes, they were joined by five members of the History Through The Looking Glass team – which headteacher Mark Prentice is a part of – for a day of learning.
Pupils were able to handle period artefacts, hear tales that were told hundreds of years ago, dance just like Tudor nobility, take part in ancient pastimes and play a traditional sport during a special series of hour long workshops.
With the focus for the day being Tudor rich and poor life, the sessions were held for the five classes from the two year groups. The five workshops centred around a Tudor Museum, Tudor archery and fire lighting, Tudor dancing, Tudor music and Tudor storytelling.
Delighted with how the day went, Mr Prentice said: 'Years five and six enjoyed a brilliant Tudor day. By bringing history alive through role play and a real hands on experience, it was a great foundation for the children. They learnt a lot.'
From taking part in a formal court Tudor dance, solving riddles and seeing how life was like in the kitchens as dead fish and pheasants were prepared, to having a go at archery and experiencing a tour of Tudor medicine – including blood letting – 'it was a real success,' according to Mr Prentice.
He said: 'The children thoroughly enjoyed it. It was excellent for them to handle real artefacts and objects as opposed to looking on the Internet. 'Some of them said it was the best day they had. They are now going to be following it up with written reports, and it has inspired them to find out about King Henry and his wives, and learn more about Shakespeare's works.'
Mr Prentice added: 'The aim of our group is to allow children to experience and handle history. They loved the way you could handle artefacts in authentic ways.'
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here