Key Stage 1

Key Stage 1 History Curriculum Themes:

1. Houses and Homes

   Explore how people lived in the past!

   Your class will investigate a variety of houses and homes, discovering what life was like for the people who lived there. Students will look closely at the features of different buildings and household objects from the past, comparing them to the things we use today. 

   Objectives

   • Identify and describe different types of homes from the Victorians through to the 1960s

   • Recognise and talk about key features of buildings

   • Explore what life was like for different people in the past, comparing rich and poor homes, noticing similarities and differences.

   • Compare homes and everyday objects from the past with those we use today, discussing how things have changed over time.

2. Toys Past and Present

   Discover, Play and Learn!

   On this fun-filled trail, your class will explore the toys that children played with in our historic houses between 1880 and 1940. Students will investigate what playtime looked like in the past, handle old-fashioned toys, and even join in with street games and other traditional pastimes from the Black Country.

   Objectives

   • Identify and explore toys from the past

   • Recognise and describe the materials used to make toys

   • Explore how toys differed for children from rich and poor families

   • Compare toys from the past with those children play with today, identifying similarities and differences.

3. Transport Through the Ages

   Travel Through Time!

   During this visit, your class will explore a fascinating range of transport at the Museum, from horse-drawn carts to early motor vehicles. Students will discover how people travelled in the past, look closely at real examples from our collection, and compare them with the vehicles we use today.

   Objectives

   • Identify and explore different types of transport from the past

   • Recognise and describe the uses of different modes of transport

   • Compare transport from the past with vehicles used today, identifying similarities and differences.

Key Stage 1 Little Makers Cross-Curriculum Themes:

1. Black Country Landscapes: Art & Design

   Discover our unique region: The Black Country! 

   Introduce your students to the Black Country and find out what makes this region so special, from the raw materials that helped start the Industrial Revolution to how the industry changed the physical landscape over time.

   By approaching learning with an artist’s eye, your students will gain an understanding of the past through first-hand observation, whilst practicing their drawing skills. 

   Learning Outcomes 

   • Explain how the Black Country landscape has changed over time 

   • Describe the features of a landscape 

   • Create a composition successfully and draw from life through observation 

   • Make a piece of art that represents the Black Country in the past 

2. Free Standing Structures: Design & Technology

   Explore how people lived in the Black Country in the past! 

   Learn about the lives of people in the Black Country by seeing where and how they lived, and how houses and living conditions improved over time. Name features of homes and compare to structures for animals.

   By approaching history from a design perspective, students will gain an understanding of the past whilst learning what makes something fit-for-purpose.   

   Learning Outcomes 

   • Explain how buildings from the past in the Black Country were used 

   • Identify features of structures according to their use 

   • Describe the properties of materials and simple building techniques 

   • Make a model freestanding structure for a user from the Black Country  

3. Decorated Textile Banners: Design & Technology

   Explore how people lived in the Black Country in the past! 

   Find out more about how people lived in the Black Country by learning how resourceful they were in the past, with a focus on textiles.

   Discover how fabrics were decorated and joined, and their different functions, including how textiles were used to convey a message during the Chainmakers Strike.

   With an understanding of how resources were respected, repaired and reused in the past, students will be able to make better design decisions in the future. 

   Learning Outcomes 

   • Identify the variety of textiles used in the past within the Black Country. 

   • Name several techniques that can be used to decorate and join textiles 

   • Describe the properties of textile materials 

   • Make a textile banner taking inspiration from their local area in the Black Country 

4. A Day in a Factory: Music

   Discover why the Black Country was the ‘workshop of the world’! 

   Give your students a greater depth of understanding of what it was like to work in the Black Country in the past by collecting sounds across the Museum, from the Chainmaker to the drop hammers in Joe’s Tools. 

   With a multi-sensory approach to learning, your students will have a greater appreciation of the working lives of people over time, whilst learning how to communicate a narrative through music. 

   Learning Outcomes 

   • Explain how the industrial places of the Black Country sounded in the past 

   • Discuss how historical artefacts can be used to make sounds musically 

   • Name sounds using descriptive language and match them to actions and feelings 

   • Make an improvised musical composition based on a day in a Black Country factory 

1. Tier 1 funding

   Includes a fully funded visit, transport and outreach.

   Eligibility Criteria: 

   School is located in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall or Wolverhampton LA.

   Schools with 50% and above Students receiving free school meals.

   A group of up to 120 students within Key Stage 1 who have not yet accessed a funded Little Makers visit.

2. Tier 2 funding

   Includes a funded visit and outreach activity. 

   Eligibility Criteria: 

   School is located in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall or Wolverhampton LA.

   Schools with 25-49.9% of students receiving free school meals. 

   A group of up to 120 students within Key Stage 1 who have not yet accessed a funded Little Makers visit.