On Monday, we went back in time 1,600 years to become Anglo Saxon villagers for a day. It was brilliant!
We made a copper bracelet in the forge, learnt how to best use a shield to defend ourselves from the dreaded Vikings, milled grain to make flour, baked our own bread in the open oven, used a pole lathe to make a skittle, carved runes in a piece of wood, played a closely fought game of skittles, discovered just how important a deer was to a village, dressed up as thanes and warriors, fed the chickens, stuck our friends in the stocks…and that was all before lunch!
After lunch, we were taught about herbs and plants. Did you know that the Anglo Saxons used to eat nettles as a valuable source of vitamins, particularly after a long winter? Or that dock leaves are not necessarily the best type of leaf to ease a nettle sting? Then we crept through the forest where we spotted a beautiful owl, some majestic wolves, and some rather sleepy wild boar snoozing in the sun.
Our final activity was to make a silver coin to commemorate our day. What a day it was. We returned tired but happy and with a real appreciation of what our lives might have been like had we been living in Anglo Saxon times.
Mrs Trudy Porter
Year 4 Teacher
