On Thursday 7th December, Year 4 pupils were very excited to be heading off to visit the ancient Roman capital of Britain, Colchester. They soon discovered that there were many interesting activities on offer at Colchester Castle Museum. 

First they were led down a steep staircase, deep under the castle, for a story tour. After ducking heads carefully to walk through some tunnels, everyone found themselves in an arched room which was part of an original Roman temple built in honour of Emperor Claudius - they could even picture where they were sitting by looking at a model of the temple. While there, Year 4 pupils had the opportunity to show off their knowledge about the Romans and the Celts and to learn more about Boudicca, the main star of our latest History theme ‘Rebel with a Cause.’ They even got to handle a piece of pottery which archaeologists believe was in the temple when Boudicca and her army burnt it down. 

Co-operative and collaborative skills were needed when everyone was tasked with the job of building a Roman villa - it was like a giant 3D jigsaw, with pupils even having to ensure the mosaic on the floor was correctly pieced together. Handling artefacts was another important aspect of the trip - it was fun trying to guess what an object might have been used for and what it is was made out of. Everyone's favourite artefact was a silver torque which many pupils felt the need to try on and imagine themselves back in the past. 

Year 4 also enjoyed time in the galleries, completing a museum trail and using tablets to make the past come alive. Particular highlights included making themselves comfortable inside a model of a Celtic roundhouse, trying on clothing and shields and making statues come to life when viewed through a tablet. It was a fantastic day and Year 4 pupils are now using some of the knowledge they gained on their trip to create a documentary about Boudicca.