We have had a great week learning about the Victorians. We have enjoyed learning about Victorian schools and comparing how they are similar/different to schools today. We were particularly fascinated by the fact that many children would have had to work rather than go to school and one of the jobs they would have done would have been chimney sweeping or working with dangerous machines.

We had an amazing trip to Shire Hall and the adults there were so impressed with the children’s knowledge and how polite they were. Thank you to the adults that helped on the trip, your time and support is much appreciated. We spent time learning about the Victorian era and explored the courtroom and cells too. We learnt a lot about a child called Harry Parker and why he was in court at Shire Hall. We are now experts at exploring evidence and deciding whether we have enough grounds to convict someone.

We also had a great time getting crafty and making peg dolls. Some children even used these to tell stories as well. We learnt about Victorian toys and how rich children would have had dolls made from china whilst those from poorer backgrounds would have had homemade toys made from things that were around the house such as wood. There was a crib that was allegedly made from a smuggler’s box with a wooden doll inside.

This week we have also participated in anti-bullying week and looked at the theme of ‘One Kind Word…’. We have thought about what kindness means to us at school and how we can show different acts of kindness, it has been lovely to hear some of the kind acts the class have been sharing with one another. We created some great writing thinking about what kindness is.The children came up with some fantastic ideas: “Kindness is sharing and helping others. Kindness is looking after each other and making sure we use kind words.

Finally, we watched this video all about the kindness ‘boomerang’ effect, you can watch it here (adults please check the link in case of external adverts): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU