EDUCATION PACK

The Heritage Lottery funded Historic Landscape Project allowed us to create an Education Pack based on the Iron Age in North Duffield. Aimed at primary school aged children it was designed to give children a flavour of what it might have been like to live in the Iron Age over 2000 years ago. Children were invited to consider what the tribes might have done, how they dressed what they ate and wore and where they lived. The children were given practical tasks of creation and design and were also able to build a replica cardboard roundhouse supplied with the kit, and weave a friendship bracelet.

The National Curriculum, at this point, started with the Roman Invasion. We decided to cover the period when we believe North Duffield had started to develop over 2300 years ago. What we could not have known was that the National Curriculum was soon to be changed to include the Iron Age- we got there ahead of them.

The Pack was the brainchild of Tony Stevens who researched, collated and created the Pack entirely on his own. We were lucky that the school allowed him to print the pack at the school using their equipment, a service that we paid the going rate for. It was then a matter of sorting the pages out, checking that everything was there and the making up the folders. We made a lot and, indeed, had to make more to satisfy demand. A CD of the pack was created and sold to raise funds for future work-many were taken by local schools. We had hoped the Education Department of North Yorkshire County Council would be interested but, after initially expressing enthusiasm, repeated contacts with the Department failed to generate the required interest.

Frontispiece                         Front Cover                                   Sample Page

Sample from colouring book                             Cardboard roundhouse kit

Once complete, a trial run involving the children took place in July 2012. The children very quickly started to engage and began to understand how life was so different in the Iron Age: no, there were no supermarkets, cornflakes, schools or mobile phones. Yes, they did have jobs to do: fetching the firewood, repairing the roundhouse, picking roots and berries. They showed wonderful imagination in designing weapons and creating menus.

Weapons                                            Menu

Official handover of the Pack

The Pack was officially handed over on 19th November 2012 at a ceremony attended by the Chairman of the Society, John Ellwood, Tony Stevens and Brian Elsey. The children had even created their own Iron Age warriors especially for the occasion:

Fearsome fellows!

A full version of this item can be found in the book: ‘North Duffield:Archaeology and the Local Community’ for sale from this website at £12.50 (£15 with P & P)

In addition, a hard copy of the Education Pack can be purchased for £10 or a DVD for £5 allowing you to print your own copies. If you would like to discuss please email us.