Learn About Victorian Life
At Chiltern Open Air Museum, we have a range of immersive school learning experiences.
This Victorian themed day includes three workshops where our educational leaders bring the theme to life with hand-on activities. The workshops take place in or around our historic buildings, giving students a unique and authentic experience.
This themed day is suitable for both KS1 and KS2 students.
Victorian Day
Your school can step back in time with a Victorian Day at COAM.
During the themed day, students will be immersed in a traditional Victorian classroom, learning the "three Rs" with slate boards and strict discipline from Miss Grim. Through role-play and authentic activities, your students will discover what life was like for children over a century ago, offering a fascinating glimpse into the past. This themed day is suitable for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 students.
A Victorian Day comprises a traditional Victorian classroom lesson and your choice of two other workshops:
Toys and Games from the Past Rag Rug making Wash Day Brick Making Lighting in the Past Butter Making
Workshops length: 2¼ hours
Cost per group of up to 32 students and 6 accompanying adults:
During academic year 2024 to 2025: £405
During academic year 2025 to 2026: £425
Available: All year round
Subject links: History, Geography, Art, D&T and PSHE
KS1 curriculum links: Significant historical events, people and places in their own locality. Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally or globally. The lives of significant individuals in the past who have contributed to national and international achievements - Queen Victoria.
KS2 curriculum links: A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066. A significant turning point in British history - Universal schooling for Children in England and Wales - Elementary Education Act 1870.
Victorian School Workshop
Learning Outcomes
To be able to describe key aspects of daily life in a Victorian classroom, including the roles of the teacher, pupils, and schoolroom rules and compare to a modern day classroom.
To explore and use writing equipment such as slates, ink pens, and chalk.
To experience traditional Victorian school activities such as handwriting practice, reciting multiplication tables, and participating in drills or lessons.
To understand how Victorian values, such as discipline, respect for authority, and hard work, influenced classroom behaviour and teaching methods.
To explore the rules, punishment and rewards that school children would have experienced during the Victorian era.
Lighting in the Past Workshop
Learning Outcomes
To understand how homes were lit in the past.
To explore how lighting technology has developed over time.
To follow instructions and learn how create a beeswax candle.
Rag Rug Making Workshop
Learning Outcomes
To understand the social history of rag rugs and why they were made.
To understand the process of how to make a rag rug and compare to modern day rug making methods.
To make a rag rug using traditional methods.
Butter Making Workshop
KS1 Learning Outcomes
·To understand the process of changing milk into butter.
To explore a dairy barn and the Victorians tools used in the butter making process.
To understand how Victorians used to live.
To make butter, using a traditional Victorian method.
KS2 Learning Outcomes
·To explain the process of making butter, comparing traditional and modern methods.
To understand how cream changes state from a liquid to a solid and how the temperature of the cream affects the butter-making process.
To explore a dairy barn and the Victorians tools used in the butter making process.
To make a block of butter, using a traditional Victorian method.
Wash Day Workshop
Learning Outcomes
To understand how laundry was carried out in the past and compare to modern day methods.
To explore different types of laundry equipment from a variety of time periods.
To carry out the laundry process using a dolly and mangle.
Brick Making Workshop
KS1 Learning Outcomes
To understand the basic materials used in brickmaking.
To form a basic brick shape using clay.
To understand how heat can change a material’s structure.
To understand how bricks are an essential part of construction.
KS2 Learning Outcomes
To understand the stages of brick production.
To compare the properties of the different materials used in brickmaking.
To make a brick using clay and understand the importance of uniformity of size.
To explore the chemical changes that occur when clay is heated to high temperatures.
To consider the environmental impact of brickmaking and explore more sustainable materials and methods.
Toys in the Past Workshop
Learning Outcomes
To explore toys from the past and compare to modern day toys.
To understand which materials were used to make toys from the past.
To discover the Victorian fascination with optical illusions and create an optical illusion toy.
