Stone Age to Iron Age School Visits
This session is currently under development and will be available for bookings in September 2024!
This exciting school visit takes your class through thousands of years of early humankind. It can be booked for one – three classes for a full day or a half day.
In local schools, two Specialists can attend. In this case, two form entry schools will get Specialist-led sessions for all children all day. Further afield, two and three form entry schools can be accommodated with some teacher-led sessions and we have enough resources for all children to be occupied on relevant sessions all day.
Below is an outline of a typical Stone Age to Iron Age Visit.
Introduction
The Stone Age man or woman tries to communicate with the class. They are surrounded by their cherished tools, weapons and every day objects which comforts them but they become frustrated by how little the children understand of their basic language. They may offer dressing up opportunities but eventually retreat to the safety of their home.
Neolithic Tools & Weapons
Bronze Age Man/Woman
In this session, the Specialist will return in an adjusted costume as the Bronze Age man or woman. Their language is much more developed and they readily share the weaponry and tools of the Neolithic man, explaining each item as they go. Optionally, this session can also include flint arrowmaking.
Building Stonehenge
Stonehenge & Bronze Age Artefacts
This session is structured in three sections and offers an amazing opportunity to handle many authentic objects of museum quality. In groups, children are asked to problem-solve, working together to build wooden models of Stonehenge. Using unique kits, made especially for our day, children must determine the correct size for the model and complete certain maths challenges relating to it.
Each group is issued with a bow drill firestarter to see if they can make smoke.
Finally, we gather to handle a remarkable collection of replica artefacts, discussing each object to learn its use and the work role (or job) that matches it.
Cave Painting
Cave Painting
This simple, teacher-led session incorporates art/DT and facilitates the Specialist policy of working with large numbers of children throughout the school day at no extra cost.
Stone Age Board Games
This session can sometimes be delivered by ourselves where we are booked for a single class or can be teacher-led on days with multiple classes. Alternatively, the session can be left as a follow up as it is easy to deliver from Teacher Notes provided.
Iron Age Pastimes
Iron Age Archery & Knucklebones
The Iron Age Man or Woman introduce themselves in a different costume and displays a range of Iron Age resources some of which can also be handled by the class. They then instruct the children in the use of our class set of child friendly bows and arrows. As some of the pastimes are weather dependent, requiring use of an outside space, we also bring sets of real knucklebones and other indoor resources.
Storytelling
Celtic Myths & Storytelling
We end the day with a myth told in oral tradition and, if time allows, combine this with more interactive storytelling as a whole group. All of the children can join in, playing simple parts in a light-hearted tale.
We, Greg and Lisa, work fully in role as Stone Age to Iron Age people. This means that we use our subject knowledge to respond to questions and talk as they would do. To achieve this we use a basic sounds progressing to words whilst remaining clear enough for children to understand.
Our focus is on the educational experience for the children and what serves them best, so the sessions are interactive and involve everyone. The overall experience for children is then an immersive one where they feel they have truly met a Stone Age person and gained a picture of their life. The sessions are interactive and involve all of the children.
The day is fully risk assessed and this can be emailed upon request. Confirmation of booking is taken as a contract between the school and The Specialists and acceptance of our T & C’s.
Greg and Lisa McCarthy have many years of experience working with children. Greg is a teacher and Lisa a former Occupational Therapist in learning disabilities. Both have DBS and public liability insurance.
Resources are meticulously researched and authentic to the period. We will bring real animal hide and animal bone objects. We understand if anyone is sensitive to this (Lisa is a vegetarian in real life!) but please be prepared. Our bone replica artefacts really are made of bone – not plastic!
Stone Age to Iron Age school visits for education. We provide a living history and reenactment service as historical interpreters focusing on the topic. As re-enactors, we use storytelling, artefacts such as toys and games to bring the excitement of real history to your classroom.
Some of the locations we travel to for our Stone Age to Iron Age workshops are:
East-Midlands, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Leamington, Leicester, Hinckley, Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham, Tamworth, Derbyshire, , Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Swadlincote, Nottinghamshire, Derby, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Lutterworth, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, Nuneaton, Solihull, Warwick, Rugby, West Midlands.