The Year 5 pupils of Northdown Primary School, Margate, hopped on to the school minibuses this week to head to Canterbury’s Roman Museum to kick start their new topic looking at Roman Britain.
After learning about the history of Roman culture and society from their guide, Charlotte, the children took part in hands-on activities. Each child had the opportunity to become a musivarius (a Roman mosaic artist) and create their own mosaic piece.
They worked surrounded by the impressive remains of a Roman town house that was discovered after bomb damage during the Second World War.
A treasure hunt questionnaire helped them learn all about what the Romans ate, how they heated their homes and what they wore. The metal ear wax picker was a particular highlight!
Trying on Roman costumes and helmets was also met with much excitement and the youngsters were thrilled to be able to handle replica Roman artefacts. Lucee, age 9, said: “It was really interesting, and I liked that you could touch some of the artefacts.”
Ruby, also 9, agreed that it was amazing: “I loved drawing at the museum.”
Once they had explored the Roman Museum, the pupils visited the nearby Beaney Museum to wander round the permanent and special exhibitions, paying special attention to the beloved Bagpuss, before returning to school ready to tackle a new term of learning.
More information can be found at https://www.northdown-tkat.org/