Beauty versus Bounty - A Bronze Age passion Workshop
Horrid Historia
School Workshop London & South East Hampshire
Why do I love the Bronze Age? Quite simply because of what we may view as being the 'little changes' that transpired around the home and the hearth yet, at the time, were life-changing to our ancestors. It is easy to merely dismiss the dynamic of a people who, 4000 years ago, were exporting home-made goods all over the known world; that were implementing new ideas and concepts whilst wrestling with the need to honour older customs and practices. For here at last is the birth-place of metal as a quality tool in its own right and all the changes that this brings. But its also much more than that - for us its about the impact on the people, their culture, their society, their everyday lives and their religion. Our workshops are designed with that in mind; to feel and experience all the things they did. To allow your pupils to explore the Bronze Age through the eyes of our ancestors and let them decide which is more important - Beauty versus Bounty - A Bronze Age passion. Our passion is all about hands-on enquiry-led learning. We don't operate on a script or come to you with a show. We design our workshops to fit your pupils needs and interests. We empower them to take their learning on a journey that inspires them to want to know more. We focus on the skills rather than the end goal using artefacts that are either real or hand-made replicas for the period. But we don't stop there. History isn't about full-stops. It's a maze of comma, ellipsis, exclamation mark and questions. It is about life. What came before and after; the links that forge and unite our history and our lives today. This is where we excel. You want a workshop on Bronze Age clothing then we bring this to life for you but we also explore what came before and what comes next. The evolution of the concept - the differences and similarities, what changes and what stays the same and why it happened - cause and effect.
"For we are the spark that ignites their passion."
We also cover - Stone Age, Iron Age, Roman, Saxons and Vikings and many more - details on our website. So if you are looking for a stand alone or multi-period experience that is bespoke to you then the Horrid Historia team are your crew.
Teacher Checklist
Bursaries or Funded Places Available
Where we travel to
We can visit your school in:
What activities are available during this school workshop?
We start every workshop with an interactive experience for your pupils that not only sets the scene but also allows them the opportunity to get to grips with many of our artefacts.
The rest of the day is up to you to decide safe in the knowledge that whatever you choose we will adapt the delivery and content to fit your narrative or enquiry-led trail. At present we have 14 specific Bronze Age workshops for you to choose from and all of these can be combined or adjusted in order for us to deliver the living history experience your pupils deserve. All of the details are on our website but here is a flavour of some of them.
Weaving - a ground breaking discovery that changed for ever the narrative of human attire - how will your pupils get to grips with this new fangled technology?
Dyeing - with new clothing materials comes new opportunities and with that a passion for beauty driven by nature - here your pupils will get the chance to replicate the pursuit of colour Bronze Age style.
Beaker People Pottery - if two words were to sum up our Bronze Age heritage it has to be Beaker Pots. Iconic, sought after and well travelled. The original must have collectors piece. - will there be a market for your own pieces - lets find out?
The rest of the day is up to you to decide safe in the knowledge that whatever you choose we will adapt the delivery and content to fit your narrative or enquiry-led trail. At present we have 14 specific Bronze Age workshops for you to choose from and all of these can be combined or adjusted in order for us to deliver the living history experience your pupils deserve. All of the details are on our website but here is a flavour of some of them.
Weaving - a ground breaking discovery that changed for ever the narrative of human attire - how will your pupils get to grips with this new fangled technology?
Dyeing - with new clothing materials comes new opportunities and with that a passion for beauty driven by nature - here your pupils will get the chance to replicate the pursuit of colour Bronze Age style.
Beaker People Pottery - if two words were to sum up our Bronze Age heritage it has to be Beaker Pots. Iconic, sought after and well travelled. The original must have collectors piece. - will there be a market for your own pieces - lets find out?
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Archaeology Workshop
Click to read full text Archaeology provides a window through time from which we can use artefacts to recreate the narratives of that time period through the thoughts and ideas of your pupils. Here they will learn chronology and how different methods are used to date artefacts. They will learn how evidence is acquired, correlated and disseminated. They will discover how to form questions and how to use artefacts to form a narrative based on form, function and use. They will explore similarities/differences; cause and consequence and why things might change or stay the same. Whilst also exploring what we don't know and what archaeology alone cannot help us understand..
Art Workshop
Printmaking Sculpture Design History of Art
Click to read full text Art is the expression of what the world means to us as individuals, communities and cultures. It is our story and an echo of our souls which resonates for ever onwards throughout history. So within our workshops your pupils will get to express their unique artistic flair using a variety of mediums ranging from sculpture, carving, sketching, and paints. They will learn about the history of art and the use of different mediums, binders and pigments. How to use colour for effect and what to do when your colour choices are limited. They will discover the secrets of fresco painting and the use of tempura and gesso and what colour actually meant to ancestors as a spiritual and cultural guide.
Bushcraft Workshop
Click to read full text When we talk about bushcraft in todays terms what we are really referring to is the skill set that everyone of our ancestors would have needed in order to survive. Our workshops offer a huge array of opportunities for your pupils to not only learn, reinforce or enhance their bushcrafting knowledge, they will also be able to apply these skills practically within the contact of the period of history you are studying. We can teach and resource tracking, den building, fire lighting, cooking weapon and tool making, survival skills, wood carving, foraging, hunting, gathering, navigation, camouflage and concealment, plant and tree identifying, use of woods, use of plants, shelter building and a nomadic lifestyle to your pupils. Our skillset comes from an army background and after that years of living in the field and being at home with nature. For this reason our workshops flow with the seasons. They harmonise with nature and use the resources that are at hand rather than striving to create a false image of what bush life is meant to be. We will teach your pupils how to plan ahead and to use what nature provides. That foraging isn't just about food - it is everything else.
Music Workshop
Playing Musical Instruments Listening to Music Music History
Click to read full text The wonderful thing about music is that somewhere every piece you have ever heard means something to someone. It invokes feelings and humans have been attempting to tame and train it to their narrative from the Dawn of humans as a species. Now today we will have timbre, notes, scales and many other conventions of musical form or so it would seem. Is our scale the same as in other places today? What makes a good song? A good tune to dance to? What does music actually mean and where does it come from. Well in the Stone Age it came from nature and it grew from there; you will be surprised how much melody is inert beneath our feet. So by the time we reach the Bronze Age we have many instruments that are very familiar to us today. We had started to truly harness the power of music. We will teach your pupils about the history of music in the best way possible by letting them explore it, play it and recreate it. Songs, dance, performance - melodies, notes, tunes, percussion, beat and choreography on a different scale. A scale that taps into our ancient roots and follows them all the way up through the ages to the modern period if that is your desire. Or instead you could just stay and hang around and enjoy the enchanting sounds of a bygone age.
Prehistory Workshop
Stone Age Bronze Age Iron Age
Click to read full text You cannot teach any history topic without also touching or recapping on what came before and what came after. The same is true in education when we teach or learn anything new - we need that prior understanding in order to be able to contextualise the new and then to move further forward. So in our workshops we always touch or recap on what came before and after to re-enforce their understanding of chronology but also so that they can truly appreciate the significance of the period of history they are now looking at for the people at the time. So we will refer back to the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic during this workshop. They will begin to appreciate that whilst new tools are now available that people didn't just forget how o flint knap or abandon their flint tools. That whilst farming techniques and animal husbandry was evolving; that hunting and gathering still took place. Pots and pottery may have evolved and techniques improved upon but in essence the materials were the same. So we will compare and contrast, we will look at differences and similarities and your pupils will form their own opinions based on the evidence of why these things happened rather than us telling them. They will decide whether they want the bounty or the beauty or indeed could they have had both?
What size groups do we cater for?
We cater mainly for 1-2 classes max per day however we can extend this for larger cohorts but please do enquire first as I need to book additional staff.
Access for visitors with disabilities
Finally, and on a personal note, I set up this company to ensure high quality enrichment experiences are affordable for all schools. As a former teacher, history lead and intervention specialist I know how life changing these types of experiences can be for all young people. We offer experiences to your pupils on their terms. We adapt, we persevere and we overcome - the only rule we have is safety. They determine their own success which is based on our own unique criteria and as such we can guarantee that they will all feel valued and successful at the end of their day without the need for compromise or empty plaudits. What's more; we are affordable (average cost per pupil per workshop £2) and I will always work with schools regardless of size to ensure we can keep the costs down - so if things are tough, if you are a small school with fewer pupils, please reach out and ask. There will always be a way that we can work together - all it takes is a willingness and some creative thinking on both sides.
Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)
We can adapt any workshop and its delivery to suit the needs of any of your pupils. We have a vast range of alternative or substitute resources at our disposal which can be used as an adaption for any workshop that we run. But more importantly all of our workshops are uniquely designed to ensure that all pupils/ clients can access the learning and join in with their friends / peers. We appreciate that some may need additional support to do so and where this is required we will work closely with the school to ensure that we come up with a solution that works best for them. Our two workshop leaders have over 30 years of experience between them working very closely with SEN, home education and small groups, as well as with young people in mainstream education that require adaptations or specialist support. Our ethos is inclusivity: we believe that enriching education experiences should be available for all young people.
I could mention here specific instances where we have adapted our delivery however I prefer instead to abide by our humanistic, holistic approach to education rather than focussing on what is in reality a label. In other words you know your pupils very well so please get in touch and we will instead work together to deliver something unique and special for YOUR pupils. I personally spent 7 years planning, creating and delivering bespoke 1:1 and small group sessions for pupils with additional and specific needs. So with your input and expertise in your young people, we can bring their curriculum to life.
Anything else?
As a company we pride ourselves on our sustainable approach towards delivering these workshops. So just as our ancestors will have done, we work within windows of opportunity. This does mean that as the seasons progress some of the resources we use may change to suit the season or may have been stored from an earlier window of opportunity. These will in no way affect the quality of the workshops we deliver; indeed we believe this approach enhances the authentic experience for your pupils. However some of the resources may not be as vibrant or available out of season.
For some of our activities we will need space - some of that outdoors and others an indoor alternative if it is really wet ie cave painting. We will always endeavour to go outdoors for workshops that require this regardless of the weather but will ensure that this always remains safe and enjoyable for your pupils.
For some of our activities we will need space - some of that outdoors and others an indoor alternative if it is really wet ie cave painting. We will always endeavour to go outdoors for workshops that require this regardless of the weather but will ensure that this always remains safe and enjoyable for your pupils.
Who are Horrid Historia?
Sean - this is my baby and it has taken years to come about. Decades of living as a re-enactor bringing history to life in castles all around the U.K. Living and learning the skills of our ancestors. I create most of the artefacts used in our workshops myself using period techniques and tools and just love researching and learning from trial and error to recreate something I have seen in a museum or have read about. As an educator, I have specialised in 1:1 intervention and SEN programmes. I have managed an outdoor heritage education site and won awards for my enquiry-led approach to teaching. I know how important and life changing enriching education experiences can be for young people and this is the drive behind this company. To make sure that these experiences are available and affordable for all schools and pupils. I am a parent, a husband, a grandfather. I coach swimming and martial arts. I am a published author and have played King John in a TV programme and have starred, as a prop, in a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Adrian - a very good friend and a man whose passion for teaching and getting young people enthused about learning really knows no bounds. His speciality lies in Roman and Saxon history which he lives and breathes nearly every day. However, like me, he just loves history and the way he can bring it to life for young people is truly mesmerising. To sit and listen to his stories, which he loves telling, transports you back in time to an age where this was the most exciting and exhilarating time of the day for our ancestors and I guarantee that he will have your young people spell bound.
Whilst our prices are fixed per full day and half day visits and are very affordable (average cost based on class of 30 is less than £2 per pupil for a full day) we appreciate that if you are a smaller or specialist school, or a Home Ed group with your own accessible land, that this price structure doesn't work as well for you. So please do get in touch and as the saying goes - 'where there is the will; there is a way.' We can work together to find a solution.
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