From Romans to Vikings: Planning a History Workshop Day Across KS2

Puzzle Locker offers a different approach from other workshop providers. Our history workshops allow each class to experience its own topic during the same visit, bringing several historical adventures into your school hall.

A Puzzle Locker Workshop Day helps your budget go further. With a fixed daily rate, sharing the day across three or four classes spreads the cost across more pupils and reduces the cost per child-bringing several historical adventures into one booking.

Start With Your Curriculum

Before choosing a date, speak to colleagues about the topics they are teaching and where a workshop would fit.

Some classes might benefit from an introduction that sparks questions about a new period. Others may be ready to revisit previous learning, drawing on what they already know as they explore.

Our history topics include Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Vikings, Tudors and World War Two. 

Build a Day Around Your Classes

Puzzle Locker usually works with three or four KS2 classes during a full-day visit. Each class takes part in a separate session lasting approximately 60-70 minutes.

Depending on your school's curriculum, a day could include:

• Year 3 Romans
• Year 4 Vikings
• Year 5 Tudors
• Year 6 World War 2

This is just one possible combination. Remember, bookings are charged at a fixed daily rate, so involving more classes spreads the cost across more pupils. Collecting class numbers early helps you plan participation and work out the cost per child.

Check Your Space and Timetable

Our presenter brings 12 iPads and 12 interactive AR mats, accommodating up to 36 pupils per class in teams of 2-3 players. Workshops take place in a school hall or gymnasium, with approximately 2m by 2m needed for each team.

When planning, share your school's start and finish times, break times and hall availability around lunch. Remember to allow access for setup, as well as time for the equipment to charge over lunch. 

We also ask schools to provide access to a computer and projector, and to print some of the workshop materials required. Agreeing these details beforehand gives each teacher a clear picture of what their class needs.

Different Topics, a Shared Way of Working

Although the historical settings change between sessions, every class encounters the same team-based approach.

Through an iPad, pupils explore digitally reconstructed environments and work through three mini escape room challenges. Each room has a key question, with puzzles revealing historical facts and keywords along the way.

Within each team, pupils rotate between three jobs: the Explorer, Guide and Collector. These roles give children responsibilities for exploring, communicating instructions and recording their discoveries.

The format creates opportunities to practise communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. 

Prepare Each Class for Its Adventure

Each participating class completes a teacher-led pre-workshop lesson using the supplied PowerPoint and tutorial videos. Build this into your planning, so pupils arrive familiar with the roles and ready to play straight away, to make the most of their workshop.

Afterwards, topic-specific follow-up resources provide activities to recap vocabulary and reinforce learning. Teachers could ask pupils to explain a discovery, return to a workshop question or discuss how the experience connects with their history lessons.

Bring Your KS2 History Plans Together

For history subject leaders, coordinating one visit can create opportunities for several classes while keeping each session relevant to its own topic.

Start by gathering your preferred topics, class sizes and possible dates. Puzzle Locker can then help build a timetable around your school day.

Explore Puzzle Locker's history workshops for primary schools or enquire through Plan My School Trip to begin planning your visit.