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Black History - KS1 & 2 The Mary Seacole Trunk
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The Victorians

On-line Investigations into Life in Hertfordshire in the 1890's. Key Stages 2 and 3 resources from Stevenage, Tring and Hoddesdon. Find out more...

Mary Seacole - Resources for Teaching about the Life and Times of a Famous Victorian Woman

The ‘Mary Seacole Trunk’ contains objects (some of them are authentic Victorian) which Mary Seacole may have taken with her to the Crimea. It can be borrowed by schools (usually for a period of 2 weeks). Prior booking is essential.

Please phone the Mecs Watford Centre (01923 248584) to book.

It may also be possible to arrange for a visitor in role as Mary Seacole to come to your school.

Working with the Mary Seacole Trunk  - Bushey and Oxhey Infants

In Year 2 we were comparing the work of Mary Seacole and Florence Nightingale. We introduced the trunk after giving the children a little potted history about Mary Seacole.

They were enthralled to know if it was THE real trunk she took with her (of course!) and we took out a few items each day....Things for on board ship (we had last term discussed the Plague and rats in relation to the Great Fire of London so this was perfect revision)...Things for the soldiers... the medicine box (best of all!) - what IS that funny shaped bottle for??!!

The children then had to write as if they were Mary entering the battlefield and using some of the things in the trunk. Wonderful results!!! Thank you. We also watched the Magic Grandad DVD - totally spellbound!!

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Hertfordshire Archives & Library Services (HALS)

Hertfordshire Archives & Local Studies (HALS), based at County Hall in Hertford, has a wide range of resources to assist in the teaching of history, geography and local studies. These include original records of local authorities, schools, manors and estates, businesses and families etc. in Hertfordshire, as well as printed and published materials - books, newspapers, maps and photographs etc. Find out more...

History Sources Packs

Resource packs from HALS are available on a wide range of historical topics for example:

• Public Health in Hertford 1830 – 1850 (the Cholera Epidemics of 1832 and 1848/9) Includes extracts from the Hertford census of 1851 and parish burial registers, photographs, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, map etc.
• Hertfordshire in War and Peace 1938 – 1946 Includes photographs, newspaper cuttings and documents concerning the
  preparations for war, evacuation, the Home Guard, invasion plans, a spy in Hertfordshire, air raid precautions, bomb damage, rationing, British Restaurants, women and the war effort, paying for the war, and victory celebrations.
• Child Labour in Nineteenth Century Hertfordshire Includes documents relating to child employment in the silk industry, papermaking, straw plaiting, agriculture, brickmaking, and chimney sweeping.

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Hertfordshire Memories

The Herts Memories website was launched in 2009 to celebrate life in Hertfordshire.  It is for people of all ages and backgrounds, from teenagers to teachers, families to local historians; it's about much more than history.

The opportunities for students to get involved in recording local history and their present day communities are virtually endless. Find out more....

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Indus Valley Civilisation for KS2

• www.harappa.com/teach

A web site for teachers to assist with resourcing. Curriculum guidance links, articles and publications and links to an extensive website with resources on the Indus Valley KS2 world history.

Knebworth House

Knebworth House in Hertfordshire offers Tudor and Victorian Treasure Trails, and a Dinosaur Trail. The Tudor and Victorian days are led by costumed guides where the children participate in hands-on activities using first-hand source material from the house itself - artefacts, photo's etc. The morning's activities take place in the house, the afternoon is spent in the gardens solving clues to complete the treasure trail.

The Tudor day is based on the day that Queen Elizabeth 1st visited Knebworth. The Victorian day looks at life in the House through the eyes of young Victor, who grew up here. The Dinosaur Trail (solely outdoors) is set in the gardens and grounds of the estate. The newly designed trail (ready for 2006) will encompass cross-curricular activities embracing science, numeracy and citizenship.

For more information visit the web site and follow the "For Schools" link:

• www.knebworthhouse.com

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Museum Resources

Hertfordshire Museums

Herts and Beds Museums: Resource Boxes for Schools

• Herts Museums: Resource Boxes (pdf file)
  The contents of the boxes vary, but all boxes will contain some of the following:
  - original or replica artefacts
  - posters
  - photographs
  - costumes
  - newspaper

St Albans Museums

A wide variety of workshops, artefact handling sessions and tours for schools are run at both the Museum of St Albans and Verulamium Museum. In addition there are useful online resources for teachers on the museum web site:

• www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk/

Dacorum Heritage Trust

The Dacorum Heritage Trust is a Accredited Museum with collections covering the whole of Dacorum. Visit the Resources for schools page on their website:

• www.dacorumheritage.org.uk

They can provide Object Loan Boxes:

Victorian Object Loan Box and Archive Resources
Hemel Hempstead New Town Object Loan Box and Archive Resources
Rationing during the Second World War Object Loan Box
Home Front - Second World War Object Loan Box
Life through the eyes of Lefevre Cranstone - a Victorian Quaker artist from Hemel Hempstead. Includes authentic objects and costumes
Recreate an archaeological Dig with Roman pottery and sand
They can also provide a number of display panels for loan related the history of the local area.

'Digging for Victory in Dacorum' is a resource pack for schools based on an exhibition about the Home Front during the Second World War. This 85 page, A4 booklet with 81 illustrations includes sections on:

Countdown to War
Civil Defence
Evacuation
The Land Army
Rationing
Bovingdon Airfield
War Work
Dickinson's War Work

This local history resource is available for £10.00 from the Museum Store.

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Acting Up, Writing Down

Acting Up, Writing Down provide training for teachers in using drama techniques to enthuse and inspire the teaching of humanities in KS1 and KS2.

• www.auwd.co.uk