Hands on History Online

Session 1 – Monumental Achievements:

Students examine the period of Henge building and some of the reasons our ancestors built them. They then design their own monument and use prehistoric techniques to build their very own ‘Stonehenge’ in the school playground, field or Hall!

Session 2 – Hunter Gatherers:
With a range of Stone Age tools and weapons, students try to master a host of skills that enabled our ancestors to survive and thrive in varied environments. From natural cord making to Archery and Spear skills, this session delivers hands-on learning like no other.

Session 3 – Gods & Nature:
This session examines the link between nature and religion as students prepare natural materials for cave painting and ceremonial use and undertake a ritual painting to call the gods for a successful hunt

Key Learning Areas:

Neolithic technology and tools
Prehistoric religion and beliefs
Basic Hunter Gatherer skills
Everyday Neolithic life

Session 1 – Immense Forces

Students compare and contrast how different types of Ancient Artillery operate and the forces that make them work. Torsion, Tension and Gravity powered siege machines are used.

Session 2 – Exciting Energy

This session uses a range of Artillery weapons to investigate how energy is created, stored and released to produce a devastating end result.

Session 3 – Creative Constructions

This materials-focused session investigates how these siege machines are constructed, what they are made of and why.
Students are given the unique opportunity to construct their own siege machines from scratch.

Key Learning Areas:

Setting up practical enquiries and comparatives
Understanding Forces in a practical setting
Understanding and application of levers
Gathering, recording and presenting data

Session 1 – Veni, Vidi, Vici: The Return

This session examines why the Romans came to Britain and compares and contrasts the differences between the Romans and Celtic tribes they met. Your students become the characters in this interactive and comic session.

Session 2 – Rome – The Army Needs You

A two-part completely immersive session where students become army recruits, drill & train, shoot artillery and learn the discipline of Roman legionaries.

Session 3 – Bread & Circuses

One of our signature sessions, with the use of cutting-edge props and scene setting we recreate the mayhem and madness of the Arena and why it played such an important part in the Roman Empire.

Key Learning Areas:

The power of the Roman Army
Contrasting the Romans and Celts
British resistance
Rome’s impact on Britain
Invasion & Conquest

Session 1 – The Rise of the Godwinssons

This session sets the scene by examining the power vacuum left by Edward the Confessor, the meeting of Harold and William and the failure of Tostig.

Session 2 – The Battle of Stamford Bridge

Students learn to train in the shield wall, Saxon against Viking, re-enact the set piece battle and how the Saxons prepared for battle.

Session 3 – The Battle of Hastings

A full set-piece, costumed and live re-enactment of the battle with all the detail and key turning points acted out by the young people themselves

Key Learning Areas:

The Viking & Saxon struggle
The Norman Invasion
Anglo Saxon law
Anglo-Norman Politics
Battlefield leadership

Session 1 – Stone to Steel: Cultural Invasion

An action-packed session introducing the identity of tribe and clan and exploring first contact with a new culture. Students will barter, trade and use diplomacy to understand how cultures like the Celts and the Ancient Britons assimilated

Session 2 – Assimilate or Conquest: Forced Invasion

This session examines the more forceful and definite face of invasion and how it affected the British Tribes. An action packed session showing how the unified Romans conquered the disparate Celtic tribes.

Session 3 – Belief & Power: Religious Invasion

A fantastic learning opportunity, this session explores the pagan beliefs of the many people of Britain from the Ancient Britons to the Celts, Romans, Vikings, Saxons and Normans and how each evolved to be superceded by Christianity.

Session 1 – Castles & Catapults

Students learn the construction and deployment of castles as they plan, build and test the quality of their own constructions. 

Session 2 – Weapons & Warfare

This 2-part session looks at weapons, arms and armour in both close battlefield combat and siege warfare as students can try on, use and shoot our rare range of weaponry.

Session 3 – Courts & Chivalry
A wonderfully diverse session examining the concepts of knightly valour, court etiquette and chivalry. Students enact the process of knighting, tournament competition and courtly rituals.

Key Learning Areas:

Changes in Social History
Development of Society in the Middle Ages
The Castle Building era
Status and class distinctions

Session 1 – Divorced, Decapitated, Died


A comic dramatic presentation of the history of the Tudor Dynasty complete with Kings, Queens, and deaths!



Session 2 – Exploration & Expanding Empire


This session looks at the beginning of the Golden Age of Exploration as we seek to crew a ship with the right characters needed for a long hard sea voyage.



Session 3 – Barbaric Battles


With the use of our amazing foam weapons, musket and cannons, students re-enact a famous battle against the Scots as we examine the era where medieval and modern weapons are used on the battlefield.

Session 4 – Trials & Treason


A wonderfully gory and vivid look at Tudor justice and punishments, touching on the Catholic/Protestant unrest, spies and plots and the infamous executions of Catholics.



Session 5 – A Queen’s Tournament


In this finale, we introduce your children to the pageantry, politics and pomp of an Elizabethan tournament as they compete in jousting, swordfighting and heraldic competitions.

INTRO
How it all began.
Join the countries of the Triple Entente and the Central Powers as they square up across Europe as the countdown to war begins.
 
Activity One (APPROX 45 MINS)
Join the army. 
You’ve heard the appeal from Lord Kitchener to join the army and so begins your basic training.
 
DRILL – Full group. 
 
Round robin
1 – Kit layout 
2 – Semaphore signals 
3 – Build a trench 
4 – Trench mortar 
5 – Lance practice 
6 – Gun drill 
 
Activity Two (Approx 45 mins)
Life in the trenches
 
GAS PRACTICE – Full group. Different gas masks. Gas Hood drill
 
Round Robin
1 – Food in the trench 
2 – Foot inspection
3 – Kit try on 
4 – Grenade Practice 
5 – Tank busting 
6 – Tunneling 

Dressed to kill

Find out what the British Army took into battle in WW2 from its weapons to making a cup of tea! Have a go at some drill in our live session

Target time!

It’s time for some bayonet and grenade practice at our unfortunate target!

Also, going on a bombing raid and then discover how to diffuse a bomb…

Fabulous fashion

Who would you meet on a wartime street? Let’s find out about why this conflict was called a World War as we look at the countries and armies involved in the story of WW2!

Air Raid Antics

Find out what kept you safe with our warning sound challenge and remember, DON’T FORGET YOUR GAS MASK! as we look at life on the Home Front

Finally it’s quiz time! Let’s see what you’ve remembered.

Sessions last approximately 1h15mins.