2024 – 2025 The Year of Celebration
Each year in the Creative History calendar is given a fun, inspirational name. Something to help bring a smile. 2024 – 2025 is ‘The Year of Celebration’ – the 20th Anniversary of starting school visits. Jane the Baker, Isabella the Tudor Merchant’s wife, and Flavia Severina, a reluctant Roman in Britain, were the first three 2004 characters. Since then, they have been joined by characters from Ancient Egypt and Greece, The Maya, Stone Age, Iron Age, Anglo-Saxons, Danes (Vikings), Mediaeval, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and the World Wars.
The History Skills and Concepts Underpinning Historical Knowledge Courses
These look at the historical skills and concepts that can be overlooked with a knowledge-biased history curriculum. Focusing on Key Stage One and Two, the sessions look at how the skills and concepts can develop through the primary phase. These essential historical skills and concepts also encourage critical thinking and support the development of learners. The half day courses are designed as standalone units that together combine to support each other.
Chronology for KS1 – KS2 / Evidence and Sources for KS1 – KS2
Historical Empathy for KS1 – KS2 / Cause and Effect for KS1 – KS2
Continuity and Change KS1 & KS2
Historical Perspectives & Ethical Dimensions of History KS1 – KS2
Location: King’s Somborne, SO20 6PP Cost: £85 per half day, £175 per day (includes handouts, refreshments and light lunch). Prefer 1:1 at your school? Costs are travel @ £0.45 per mile, plus £175 (HD) or £230 (FD). Extra people £20 per person.
To request further information email: admin@creativehistory.co.uk
The Continuing Challenge of COVID-19 Impacted Teaching
Exploring the Plague and the Great Fire of London remains a timely topic. Wearing a 17th-century Physic’s long-nosed mask currently has a certain appeal, and the challenge of teaching with learners sometimes not seeing my face remains an experience!
Visits can either be in person with a condensed form of stories, object analysis, and interactive activities where learners stay in their places. Or for an hour or series of sessions over the internet.
Background to Creative History
Creative History was founded in 2003 by Patricia Silver-Warner, MA(Prim.Ed), for the purpose of providing history visits that promote the development of historical skills and knowledge through active learning whilst looking to save class teachers time. The School visits started in Nov 2004.
Initially, there were five characters – Cara – the Celt, Flavia – an ‘annoyed’ Roman, Isabella – a Tudor merchant’s wife, Jane the Baker – homeless after the 1666 Fire of London; and Cecilia, a friend of Florence Nightingale.
As a historian, Patricia wanted learners to enter a world where what they saw, touched, commented on, and experienced was as close to stepping back in time as possible. So, each character’s background, costume, and set of objects were carefully researched using primary and secondary sources. Care has been taken to use textures, colours, materials, fabrics and techniques pertinent to the time they related to. Research included visiting museum exhibits, studying collections, experimenting with techniques, reading archaeology reports, exploring papers at the National archives, recreating clothing and objects.
So much time was spent in the British Museum looking at and recording early Egyptian jewelry that security was convinced a heist was being planned! Somewhat bemused, they were relieved to discover the copious notes were diagrams and explanations of how the intricate beads were wired to create the piece rather than notes on the cabinet locking mechanism.
Most of the character costumes have then been hand-made by Patricia using the research findings – so it is possible to show how things were done at that time and have a conversation about the difference between ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Life at the time’ versions.
As a teacher, Patricia wanted all the ‘bells and whistles’ she looked for when taking her class on a trip or having a visitor in. Willingness to talk with those interested, share where information came from, activities where all the learners were used rather than just one or two, and an experience with something to appeal to kinaesthetic, auditory, and visual higher and lower order learners over the visit. Although planning using preferred learning styles is considered old-fashioned today, the fun and exciting learning environment using them creates means learning happens more easily, so they still unpin Creative History days.
Based near Southampton, the last twenty-one years have seen Creative History regularly working around Gloucester, London, Kent and East Sussex. Some visits are for a specific year group only. Others are designed across the school, so year on year, children develop their object handling and historical argument skills. As well as school visits leading professional development days, advisory work, sourcing resources, and museum work are undertaken. Curriculum 2014 was a challenge, removing most requests for Tudors, Victorians, and WWII, so Marvellous Maya, Strenuous Stone Age, and Fossil hunting were added to the repertoire. Pre-covid, over a year, Creative History was likely to work with about 3,900 children across 65 schools. Post-covid, I split my time between Creative History and Post Graduate Research, working towards a Ph.D.
Favourite moments from visits include:
▪ “Tricia, where are the logbooks & Historian stickers ? We need to record ideas”. Yr 6 boy, during an introductory session, 4th visit.
▪ “Thank you for today – come again tomorrow” 1st visit, Yr 6 boy, Tudor day.
▪ Parents wanting my ‘Fire of London’ workshop for their Yr.1 as the sibling had spent breakfast describing my visit from 2 years ago.
▪ “This is the year I learnt about chocolate.” Yr 2’s end of year comment after an Autumn visit.
▪ “ I remember when …” conversations with children on later visits.
2020 – 2021 presented it’s own challenge with socially distanced interactions. The virtual visits and revamp of visit structures proved successful. Thankyou Sholing Infants, Bittern for suggesting and encouraging them. (Please email admin@creativehistory.co.uk to request a PDF of the COVID-19 Revamp report).
Visit Structure
For a visit, choose between chronological or focused topics. Then opt for a period costumed character, historian or archaeologist for your visitor. Finally, select the type of visit to suit your budget:
Type 1: An interactive presentation with object handling,
Type 2: Add deeper object analysis to the presentation and handling to extend historical skills,
Type 3: Include experience workshops to deepen and widen understanding of the topics.
What does a day cost? Please click here.
We provide a wide range of visits offering some topics in overview and others in depth for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Our visits are divided into categories as outlined below. Alternatively, please explore the web site through the menus and search tool.
Ready to enquire about a visit? Please click here.
Need further information? Please click here.
Visit Categories
Chronology
Chronology days span several historical periods and cover one or more themes. Topics include: Toys & Games, Fashion, Food, Homes and Packaging & Textiles. For example, “The Toy Factory” includes comparisons between Egyptian, Tudor, Victorian and 20th Century toys. These days are also fantastic for supporting other curriculum areas. For example we can look at the topics from Design and Technology, Art or Science perspectives.
Famous Events
A period costumed character or historian covers the topics of: The Great Fire of London, The Sinking of RMS Titanic, and The Blitz.
Famous People
Explore the lives and achievements of famous historical individuals. Topics include: Comparing the Queens (Elizabeth I and II, Victoria), Guy Fawkes (gunpowder plot), Mary Anning (fossils), Mary Seacole (nursing), Florence Nightingale (nursing), Captain Arthur Rostron (the Captain of the Carpathia), Mary Davis (Titanic survivor) and Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon).
Historical Periods
Bring history to life when a period costumed character visits with a range of interesting objects and a story to tell. We offer characters from the following British eras: Iron Age, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Medieval, Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian. In addition, an archaeologist or historian can bring the The Stone Age or Bronze Age to life.
Local Events and People
We cover significant historical events, people and places around Creative History’s base in Hampshire. Topics include Florence Nightingale, Sinking of the RMS Titanic (Mary Davis or Captain Arthur Rostron), Romsey Remount Depot (WWI).
Other Topics
A visit from a paleontologist character can resurrect Dinosaurs and Fossils in the minds of the children. Enjoy a visit from a period costumed character from Ancient Egypt or Ancient Greece. An Archaeologist or Historian can bring the The Maya to life.
Nursery Rhymes are often a commemoration of historical events and people. The visit looks at what nursery rhymes mean and explores them through reading, making, enacting and playing games.
Have you ever wondered just how archaeology works, or fancied an archaeological ‘hook’ to kick start a history topic? Then a visit from an archaeologist is the visit for you.
Historical Experience Days at King John’s House
Creative History has teamed up with King John’s House & Tudor Cottage Trust Ltd to create unique fact-based role-play and activity mornings set in a complex of Medieval, Tudor and Victorian buildings. Experience a hands-on, interactive, fun-packed, teacher-led, museum-based morning. Optionally add your own activities to create a full day’s visit.