Year 1 were very excited to head out to explore Timbertown as part of their History unit “Families Past and Present”.
The children had the opportunity to observe lots of examples of the past such as cottages, the blacksmith, a saw mill, church and school. They were fascinated by the differences in the classroom; no air conditioning, a fire and no interactive whiteboard. The teacher used a blackboard and chalk, no pencils because the children used ink and an ink pen. The playground was very sparse – no rock climbing wall or slippery dips to be seen!
There were many highlights for the students including: a carriage ride – “This is bumpy!” they exclaimed, panning for gold in the creek – “I’ve found gold!” several children called excitedly, riding on the steam train and watching the bullock show.
In the cottages the children saw first hand examples of how families lived in the past – the outdoor toilet, the pump to collect water, the outdoor washing room with the wringer and the external kitchen with the meat safe – “no it is not a microwave” said Mrs Hurst!
The children now have a lot to reflect on and discuss. We are very fortunate to have this example of ‘living history’ so close to us, allowing the children to experience life in the past.
