Children from across east Dorset are marching back in time as their schools bring history to life.
The Heath Academy Trust has teamed up with Bournemouth-based Treehouse Theatre Company to hold a History Month throughout March so pupils from its six schools can experience life from yesterday.
From prehistoric times to the 16th century shenanigans of the Tudor Kings and Queens, the children will take part in workshops and performances tailored to their curriculum.
Children in Years 3 to 6 will be getting to grips with the Tudor Dynasty, while children in Years 1 and 2 will be going all medieval with their knights and castles trip down memory lane.
And for the very youngest children in Reception it’s all about the Jurassic era and dinosaurs.
CEO of Heath Academy Trust, Justine Horn, said: “This has been a fantastic way of bringing learning to life and is fun for all our children.
“All our schools have been coming together to take part in various workshops which use the art of performance to help children further their understanding of history.
“It’s proving to be an amazing experience for them all and we are also unearthing some very talented performers.”
The Tudor Dynasty workshops culminate in an hour long play, packed with the death and coronations of five monarchs, quite a few marriages and divorces (and that was just Henry VIII) and several beheadings.
For the years 1 and 2 pupils, the ‘Knights and Castles’ re-enactment workshops took the children back in time to a very busy day-in-the-life of a medieval castle, where they dressed up as knights and noble ladies.
And for the youngest children it was ‘The Jurassics got Talent’ session, which gives them the chance to dress up, invent and act out their own dinosaur tale.
To round off History Month, the Treehouse Theatre Company will visit each school one last time with its show ‘Arthur, King of the Britons’ – a classic story of love and betrayal set against an accurate historical backdrop around 450AD.
Ben Lindsey-Clark, Creative Director of Treehouse Theatre, said: “We specialise in historical drama and workshops for children, so working with Heath Academy to design a history enrichment month has been great fun.
“Children gain so much from performing together – confidence, self-esteem, how to speak to an audience, working as a team and enjoying success together.
“The historical knowledge they gain from such a hands-on experience will stay with them far better than something they have read in a book.”
Heath Academy Trust comprises St Ives Primary School, Three Legged Cross First, Oakhurst First in West Moors, St Mary’s First in West Moors, St James First in Alderholt, and Sixpenny Handley First schools.
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