The Learning Story - Back To School With Cheshire Archives!
Summer has flown by and the new school year is upon us! While many were enjoying a well-earned break, I spent the summer enhancing our learning programme and preparing exciting new centre visits for schools.
One of my key tasks was replicating two of our popular Cheshire Education Library Service (ELS) loan boxes. This led to a few puzzled looks from colleagues as mysterious packages arrived for me, and even more confusion when they were opened to reveal a Victorian cup-and-ball toy, bandages and a vintage steam inhaler! Our Stories, Toys and Games and Nursing Through Time loan boxes have proved particularly popular with Key Stage 1 classes across the county, so we decided to create duplicates of these boxes to allow even more children to enjoy them and experience all that our collections have to offer.
Our new centre visits will offer exciting learning opportunities for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils. During our Key Stage 1 visit, students can put their shopping skills to the test as they stroll through shops in the past. Armed with trolleys and baskets, they can shop non-stop and spot the many ways in which shopping has changed over time.
For older pupils, a historical mystery awaits. Using archive evidence, pupils will investigate a real Cheshire murder involving a gamekeeper and a suspected poacher. Along the way, they will analyse evidence, draw conclusions and receive guidance from a newly appointed Victorian police officer. Pupils will put their crime solving abilities to the test as they discover how crimes were investigated, tried and punished in the past.
Alongside our centre visits, we will continue to offer our online sessions for Key Stage 2 classes. These online sessions are a perfect opportunity to develop curriculum knowledge as students explore popular topics through a local lens. Current topics include the Victorians, the Tudors and the First World War.
We are delighted by the partnerships we have built with schools across Cheshire and look forward to welcoming many more pupils to our centres in the coming months. We can't wait to share the stories, collections and experiences that bring local history to life for younger generations.
By Chloe Kennedy, Learning Officer
