A Day in the Life of a Victorian Child Year 1

Today, we spent all day exploring the Victorian era. We identified some similarities and differences between ways of life comparing life back then to today. Miss Kinsella started the day introducing when the Victorian era was and how it link to the queen at that time, Queen Victoria, as it corresponds roughly to the period of her reign. We explored the home lives of Victorian children and looked at the difference between the wealthier families and the poorer families. Everyday tasks, such as making a cup of tea took a lot of effort compared to today's technology. To understand this, we looked at a fireside bellows and metal kettles. The children were very shocked to find out that they did not have washing machines or driers during the Victoria era. Using a washboard, bucket, washing dolly, water and soap the children had a first hand experience of how they would clean their clothes in the past.

Did you know that not all Victorian children went to school? Some of the children from poorer families went to work in factories, coal mines and as chimney sweeps. The children that did go to school focused most of their learning on the 3 R's; wRiting, Reading and aRithmetic. During a carousel of activities, the children had a first hand experience of writing like a Victorian child using feathers and ink and chalk and a blackboard. During a PE lesson, we took part in Victorian drill. It involved a series of formal exercises such as marching on the spot, arm swinging, trunk bending, skipping, etc. We played traditional playground games as well as playing some typical Victorian games such as marbles and sticks. The children understood that lots of the children created their own fun by making toys and we made our own unique 'spinning wonder'.