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At the end of November, the Trust will be launching a new free programme for primary schools at 16 New Street, entitled A Traditional Christmas. Thanks to Ogier, who have kindly supported the programme, more than 300 Year 2 school children will be able to explore the Trust’s magnificent Georgian townhouse museum at Christmas time and take part in a range of immersive activities – from stirring the Christmas pudding and laying the table for a ten-course Christmas feast to learning a traditional dance and taking part in an historical quiz.
The programme has been put together by the Trust’s House and Collections Manager, Catherine Ward, who carefully linked the activities with the curriculum to ensure that as many schools as possible would take part: ‘Historic buildings provide first-hand experiences that cannot be recreated in the classroom – an opportunity for pupils to engage with real objects, real stories, real people and real environments. To ensure that every child has a memorable visit, we have tried to provide as many hands-on activities as possible to ensure that there is something to appeal to everyone.’
Ogier’s Global Head of Marketing, Kate Kirk, said: "Education is at the heart of Ogier's corporate social responsibility initiatives and, having sponsored "A Miller's Life" at Le Moulin de Quétivel in the autumn, we are delighted to now support "A traditional Christmas" for younger students at 16 New Street…Feedback from the 300 Year 5 students who visited the watermill earlier this year was that their experience was both fun and educational. We look forward to seeing how children will be immersed in a Georgian Christmas this month."
The programme includes five rotational activities:
1. In The Traditional Kitchen
The housekeeper is busy preparing the Christmas pudding for the family who live at 16 New Street. The children will find out which ingredients she is using, how she prepares the ingredients using traditional equipment and how she cooks the pudding, wrapped in muslin in a copper boiler. The children will compare some of the equipment in the traditional kitchen with equipment they have at home. They will learn that many of the ingredients would have been sourced locally in the past – with only certain things, such as sugar and spices, imported from abroad.
Activity: Stirring the Christmas pudding and making a wish.
2. In the Dining Room
The children will be greeted by the man servant who is busy laying the dining table for Christmas lunch. He will show them a traditional Victorian menu, which has ten different courses. The children will have the opportunity to compare some of the traditional foods on the menu with the dishes they enjoy at home. They will also learn about the traditional Christmas cake on the side board, known as a Twelfth Cake, and discover why it is topped with two crowns.
Activity: Helping to lay the table.
3 In the Victorian Club Room
The Victorian Club Room is decorated with fresh foliage from the garden and traditional decorations including a Christmas tree. A costumed interpreter will show the children the decorations in the room and pass around an image from The London Illustrated News, dated 1848, showing Queen Victoria and Prince Albert grouped around a Christmas tree.
They will learn when the tradition of displaying a Christmas tree started, and how families used to make gifts for each other, rather than buying them in. These gifts were traditionally hung on the Christmas tree. The children will also look at a traditional Christmas card and find out when the tradition for sending Christmas cards started.
Activity: An historical quiz.
4. In the Drawing Room
The children will learn about traditional entertainment (in the absence of computers, TVs and games consoles!). A costumed interpreter will help the children get dressed up into traditional costume and teach them a traditional dance.
Activity: Learning a simple dance.
5. Top Floor
VICTORIAN LITERATURE: The children will be invited up to the top floor where they will visit the Children’s Bedroom, which has been decorated in traditional style. The children will end their visit to 16 New Street in Father Christmas’s ‘grotto’, where they will listen to a traditional Christmas story.
