Steamhorse Interactive Workshops - Primary School - Secondary School
They are a small team of dedicated individuals who work together with you and your school or organisation to bring History to life. They believe that children and young adults learn best when they are enjoying themselves, and because of this we aim to make our workshops and presentations as much about fun as they are about education.
During our time with you, be it an hour or a day, they encourage children to try on costume, handle objects, and take part in our role plays. Weather permitting, they can take the workshop outside where children can get a feel for some of the day to day life of their ancestors. Our stories and interactive plays encourage young people to really think about what life was like in the past.
Not only can we visit your school, but they can also accompany your class on school trips to museums and other places of interest, where they can act as your very own costumed characters and guides.
All workshops give a solid grounding to compliment the Curriculum, giving your class a memorable way to remember events and dates and help them on their way to good results, not only in History itself, but covering Maths, Science, Art and DT to name but a few!
All of our interactive workshops combine learning with a range of activities designed to stimulate and entertain.
Each workshop can be adapted to suit your individual requirements. Please ask for details. As a rough guide, they can generally arrange workshops for one or two hours, a morning/afternoon, or all day. We also do follow-up visits designed to work around arranged school/class trips.
The school visits are generally centred around the classroom, but weather and space permitting, we can also venture outside to experience much more, such as archery, sword fighting and battles!
In Key Stages 1&2 we understand that children want to to learn, but that they sometimes learn best when it's fun. They use lots of stories, interactive plays, dressing up and object handling, as well as games and worksheets, to make their experience of History something they want to continue.
Stone, Bronze and Iron Age
The invention of fire and the wheel – important discoveries and changes that occurred in this early part of our past e.g. the transition of hunter gatherers into farmers and working the land as well as the advances in technology and metal working.
Learn about the types of houses these early people lived in, what they wore and what there was to eat.
Looking at the local landscape for clues as to what the people of this time did that is still visible today and how the development of early man affects us today.
Ancient Egypt
Learn about Pharaohs, pyramids and papyrus. Just what was Ancient Egypt really like?
Look at the hieroglyphics and try your hand at writing and drawing in the Egyptian style. What were their beliefs and technological innovations? How have the Egyptians influenced how we live our life today?
Romans and Ancient Britons
Learn about the Roman Empire, its culture, size and the Army that forged it. Look at some of a Legionary’s equipment, some day-to-day Roman items and have a go at some Roman army drill.
Who lived here before the Romans came. Live through the Roman invasion of Britain and how life changed once they arrived. Would you rather have been a Roman or a Briton?
Uncover the Roman legacy, what did they do for us and what is there left to see of their civilisation 2000 years on.
Saxons
Who came to Britain once the Romans had left? A look at the lifestyle, clothing, food and language they brought with them and how that changed the country we live in today.
Learn to write in Saxon runes and discover your own Saxon name. Do you live in a Saxon named village? Hear some Saxon Sagas and take part in your own Witan or court meeting.
Discover what life was really like in Saxon Britain for the everyday person and how that changed with the conversion to Christianity.
For Key Stage 3 and 4 we concentrate more on working towards exams, while still trying to make learning fun and interesting. We do a lot of problem solving, design, and working as a team, still following the worksheets. We look at how and why things happened, and the impact that has on the world today.
The Norman Conquest
Learn about the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings, a Who’s Who and What’s What of 11th century politics. Look at the battle and see if you think Harold could have done any better. A look at how life in England changed after the Normans arrived and imposed the feudal system.
Medieval Days
Revolting Peasants and Christian Crusades. Wat Tyler, the birth of the Magna Carta and the struggles between Crown and Church of medieval England. What were the Crusades and why did people feel compelled to go on them? Look at Edward Longshanks and his campaigns against the Scots.
Find out what life was like for the everyday people of the Middle Ages, their religion, food, clothing and jobs. What effect did the Black Death have on the people and economy of the time.
Medieval Conflict
Meet a solider of the Hundred Years’ War and be told all about the conflict. Learn who it was between and why it went on so long. Crécy, Agincourt, Poitiers and the importance of the English longbow, not to mention dysentery and disease.
Take part in our interactive timeline play, ‘Who’s King of the Rose?’ as you discover about the War of the Roses and how the Tudor dynasty rose to power.
The Tudors
Henry the VIII, his wives and Church. A look at the reign of possibly England’s most famous King and the start of the Church of England. Learn why the church, as we know, it was founded and what happened to all the monasteries and abbeys you see in ruins today.
The Tudor succession and the religious problems that it caused resting finally with Queen Elizabeth I and her continued conflict with the Catholics of Europe. Was this what caused the Armada?
Look at Tudor exploration of the world and at some of the strange and unusual artefacts brought back from these exploits.
English Civil War
Choose your side for the Wars that tore the country in two. Learn about the power of the people and the changes made to Parliament that effect the way our country is run today. Look at Britain through the Commonwealth and experience life under a Puritan leader before the restoration of the monarchy. What did the Civil War actually change?
Redcoats and Jacobites
A workshop that looks at the Act of Union 1707 and the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745. Meet a Redcoat or a Jacobite and look at some of the clothes they would have worn. Who was Bonny Prince Charlie and just how far did the rebellion get? Decide for yourself if Union or Independence would have been best for Scotland.
The Victorians
The Age of Engineering: How the world was changed by the Industrial Revolution in the age of steam and steel. How was life, living conditions and the countryside changed by this revolution. This workshop will be based around the Industrial Revolution in your local area and some of the surviving buildings and infrastructure from that time.
The Age of Empires: Learn about Britain as an imperial power and the rise and fall of our global empire. Look at places such as India and South Africa and understand what it meant for them to be under British rule and just why our empire grew so vast. Also look at some of the more unstable times of the empire, the Boer War and the Indian Mutiny.
Crime and Punishment
Discover the origins of the modern day police and the history of the early crime solving methods. See if you can guess which punishment from the past fitted what crime. Become special constables of Scotland Yard and help try and piece together the clues of the crime to find ‘who done it’. Or take your places in the court room and defend, prosecute or stand jury on our unfortunate felon.
World War I
Discover why WWI started. Who was involved and how it changed the world forever. Learn about the hardships of trench life, and what life was like for those left behind. Find out about the Tommies, nursing, white feathers, poetry, the overall cost and the struggle for votes for women. An insightful and sensitive look at ’The War to end all Wars’.
Local History Study
Using Local History of your area we deliver a workshop that explores the history that is all around us. Topics covered could be Somerset in the Iron Age, Stonehenge, Mining in Somerset, Bath and its development, canals and much more. The workshop will not only look at the history as it happened but what effects that has on how we live today and what of that history can still be seen by us today.
At KS3 we also offer workshops on:
Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Castles and Sieges, The Fire of London, Guy Fawkes, Witch Hunting, Pirates and the Navy, Highwaymen, Smugglers, The Slave Trade, American War of Independence, Waterloo, WW2, Famous People, Pre-Technological Playtime and more...
Vikings and the Danegeld
Did the Vikings really have horns on their helmets and only drink mead? The answer to these questions and many more in our look at who were the Vikings and why did they come to Britain.
Learn about the Vikings, what they looked like and how they lived. What did the Saxons do about the Vikings and how, from this the first King of England emerged.
Design your own Viking Shield and take part in shield wall training to ready you for the invasion. Try to haggle for the Danegeld and see just why the Vikings settled in Britain and what they have left behind for us to find.
Medieval
A look at life and living in medieval Britain. Choose your role, Lord or Peasant? Learn about the Feudal system, the many kings and have a go at some bartering to see why money became essential. Try some medieval songs and dances but try to avoid all of the horrible diseases on the way. Meet a Medieval peasant and see what they would be wearing and just how poor they were.
The Tudors
Henry the VIII, his wives and his court. Have a go at our Tudor succession game and try your hand at entertaining a king's court. Look at the reign of Queen Bess and see if you can stop the Spanish Armada. See the fashions of the day and learn just what they would have to eat.
Victorian Safari
The Victorian era gave us many famous explorers.
Head off into the jungle, park or just the school hedges on your own Victorian Safari. Led by our courageous guides you will prepare for the dangers, trials and discoveries ahead. Learn to plan a route, read a map, use a compass, leave trail signs and identify the many 'critters' and bugs that can be found on the way. Look out for tigers as you note down all you see and learn about the life of the nature around you. Who knows you may even discover a whole new species and have it named after you.
World War I
Discover why WWI started. Who was involved and how it changed the world forever. Learn about the hardships of trench life, and what life was like for those left behind. Find out about the Tommies, nursing, white feathers, poetry, the overall cost and votes for women. An insightful and sensitive look at ’The War to end all Wars’.
An Archaeologist's Dig
Get your trowels out and dig your way back into history. Our archaeologists will teach you all about archaeology, how it’s done and how we learn all our history from its science.
Using our sandpit archaeological dig sites you will get to unearth you own treasures, record them and then try and identify what they may be. Who knows maybe there will be some buried gold in there!
Local History Study
Using Local History of your area we deliver a workshop that explores the history that is all around us. Topics covered could be Somerset in the Iron Age, Stonehenge, Mining in Somerset, Bath and its development, canals and much more. The workshop will not only look at the history as it happened but what effects that has on how we live today and what of that history can still be seen by us today.
At KS1 and KS2 we also offer workshops on:
Ancient Greece, Mayan/Aztec Culture, the Normans, Knights and Castles, Shakespeare, The Fire of London, The Civil War, Guy Fawkes, Witch Hunting, Pirates and the Navy, Highwaymen, Smugglers, Waterloo, Crime and Punishment, The Victorians, WW2, Famous People, Pre-Technological Playtime and more...
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