Year 2 have enjoyed a glorious trip to Herd Farm going back in time to discover houses from the past.
First, Tina, our Forest School’s guide, took us to the Mesolithic Camp to show how hunter gatherers made temporary shelters with sticks covered in skins. We learnt about two main types of shelter – teepees and wigwams. Ask your child about the stick rule and the safe way to carry a stick.
Then we set to work creating our own shelter by creating a stable base (equilateral triangle) and turning a triangular based pyramid into a cone (great Maths learning too!). We were proud of our creations. Great teamwork, everyone!
After that, we took a walk to discover the Iron Age village in the valley – what a great setting for a village! We discovered that early farmers built thatched roundhouses with wattle and daub walls and cooked on open fires.
Then it was time to look inside…
Outside the roundhouses, Ian, our archaeologist guide, lit a fire while we enjoyed our fruit. We took some time to sketch the roundhouses and other features of the Iron Age village.
We left the Iron Age village to return to the main Herd Farm buildings (now a residential centre). The farm house was built in 1760 and we also found the newest building on the site, a sustainable steel framed, wooded covered building with a wood pellet biomass heating boiler, bringing us right up to date.
All the class demonstrated excellent behaviour and it was great to hear them share their knowledge from our topic so far. There was just time for a team photo before we got back on the coach to return to school for lunch!
‘I loved going to Herd Farm and I learnt that Iron Age houses are made of wattle and daub like Tudor houses. I was sad to leave.’
‘I enjoyed it because it was really fun and exciting. There were lots of activities at Herd Farm. I learnt lots from the past.’
‘I didn’t know that Iron Age houses had thatched roofs. It was cool to build our own shelters. I loved it!’