Year 5 experienced Victorian life at the Rural Life Museum. They discovered all about the hardships and poor health endured by children during the era. The day was a “hands on” experience full of role play including having a wee in the chamber pot in the middle of the night and being caned for drawing a picture of the teacher. They attended the Victorian school where they were taught by a very strict schoolteacher using slates, pen and ink. They practised their pronunciations through chanting tongue twisters. They also experienced Washday Monday washing with old fashioned equipment, such as carbolic soap, tin wash tubs and wash boards. They had to work hard fetching water from the pump and do their own washing. History is so exciting you must be a detective working out clues from artefacts. They explored a boot which was discovered in a local ditch – how did the boot end up in the ditch, who wore it? Year Five were super historians for the day.
