Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games - KS1 a teaching resource
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Contents 01 Outreach Learning Session - Victorian Outdoor Toy and Games 02 Curriculum connections and Learning Outcomes 03 Resources Teachers Notes Image Bank Supporting Documents Rich and Poor Victorian Children Girls and Boys Materials Matter Outdoor Games Make your own Peg Doll Make your own Paper Windmill 04 Glossary 05 Useful links
Outreach Learning Session - Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games introduction Session length: 1 hour and 15 minutes Suitable for: KS1 (Toys from the Past) and KS2 (Victorians) This session is adaptable to suit your age group and classroom topic. Cost: See website for details. Learn all about Victorian outdoor toys and games and what life was like for a Victorian child in this highly active learning session. Your class will be given an introduction to the subject of Victorian outdoor toys and games, where they will learn about Victorian childhood, the difference between rich and poor families, handle real Victorian objects from the Herbert s collections and discover what the different toys and games are that they will be playing with during the activities. Learning Outcomes Through attending this session your children will build on the following skills: An increase in learning about children s lives and lifestyles from the past. An improved understanding of how the past is different from the present. Improved enquiry when asking and answering questions about the past. Higher ability to identify different ways of life in the past. Raised awareness of materials used in the past. Your class will then be split into 6 groups, with each group taking it in turn to play with different Victorian replica toys, including quoits, skittles, hoop and stick and more, to experience first hand what life was like for a Victorian child. At the end of the group activities the whole class will come together to play the Victorian group game Ball.
Curriculum Connections and Learning Outcomes 02 An increased understanding of number shape, space and measures Look at and describe the shapes of toys Pupils could solve problems such as How many toys are made from wood, clay, metal or plastic? Mathematics Discuss the toys in this pack and their modern equivalents. Visit the Herbert to handle and explore more toys from the past History Discuss why some families had more money than others in the Victorian times. How do you think this affected the children? A better understanding of chronology, knowledge and understanding, historical enquiry and organisation and communication Sort toys into groups on the basis of their simple material properties An increased ability to group and classify materials and a better understanding of forces and motion Share and display what toys our parents and grandparents played with and record interviews with relatives about toys and games they enjoyed when they were young Discuss and create own stories involving toys Literacy Design & Technology Toy Time Art Science Discuss how the toys work. Do they move? If so how? Active participation in speaking, listening, group discussion and interaction Increased ability in developing ideas for composition Book an outreach toy session to explore the sensory qualities of materials the toys are made from through object handling An increased knowledge and understanding through working with materials Are any of the toys in this pack decorated? Design your own Active participation in exploring and developing ideas An increased knowledge and understanding of colours and textures
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Teacher s Notes 03 Why was it called the Victorian times? - The Victorian times are named after Queen Victoria - she was queen from 1837 until 1901. - Britain changed a lot during the Victorian times. - The railway was invented and the population doubled in size. - Some people got very rich because of factories, coal mining and transport, but a lot of people stayed very poor and lived in horrible conditions. Children in Victorian Times - Children had to be well behaved, respectful and quiet - especially when they were with adults. Playing Outdoors - Playing outside has always been popular with children. - In the Victorian times it was safer to play outside because cars had not been invented so the roads were much quieter. - Toys cost a lot of money, so children would make up games to play outside, such as Hide and Seek and Tag. - Poor children had to play outside because their homes were so small. - What children s lives were like depended on how much money their parents had. - Poor families could not afford to send their children to school so they sent them to work instead to earn extra money for the family. - Rich families treated their children like royalty, giving them with expensive toys, gifts and nice clothes.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Tea Set Girls from middle and upper class families could afford expensive toys like this tea set made out of china (a type of porcelain). These tea sets often looked a lot like tea sets used by adults. Little girls would have tea parties with their friends and their other toys where they could use their tea sets.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Victorian Doll Dolls were very expensive in the Victorian times, but they were popular because Queen Victoria had a huge collection of dolls that she had been collecting since she was a little girl. Dolls were expensive because: - Their face, hands and sometimes feet were made from china. - They had real human hair that had to be carefully sewn onto the head. - Their clothes were made from nice fabrics. - They had been hand painted by a skilled toy maker. Today dolls are cheaper to make in factories using plastic.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Leather Football The Victorians played team sports to build confidence and working together with your friends. Footballs were originally made from pig s bladders that had been blown up by the mouth with air, but in 1851 a man called Richard Lincoln created a round ball made from leather, like the one you can see in this picture. These were very expensive to make so poor children still had to use a pig s bladder if they wanted a game of football, which they could get from the local butcher s shop.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Tea Set Marbles were a popular toy during the Victorian times and were enjoyed by both rich and poor girls and boys. There are lots of games that can be played with marbles. One includes drawing a circle on the ground and the players have to try and knock each others marbles out of the circle by flicking their own marbles at them. This game is called Ringer. Codd Bottle Codd style bottles have a glass marble trapped inside. The marble helped to keep drinks like cola and lemonade fizzy. Poor children in the Victorian times would collect the codd bottles and smash them so they could get the marble from inside.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Yo-yo The earliest known yo-yo dates back to 500BC and is made up of a piece of string attached to a round spool, usually made from wood. This was a toy played with by boys in the Victorian times. With a lot of practice different tricks and moves can be done.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Diablo The diabolo is a toy that uses two sticks, attached to a long piece of string to throw and move the wooden spool around. The aim of the game is to throw the spool up in the air and then try to catch it again in the middle of the string. It became popular in Britain just before the Victorian times started. It would mostly have been played with by boys.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Whip and Top The whip and top is a wooden cone shaped object and a stick with a piece of string or leather attached to it. The aim of the game is to wrap the string, known as the whip, around the wooden top and then pull it away quickly to make it spin around. You can use the whip to keep the top spinning for longer by whipping it.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Skipping Rope Like today the skipping rope was a popular toy played with by young girls. In the Victorian times, girls from rich families had fancy skipping ropes with carved handles made from expensive wood. Poorer children would make do with an old washing line or piece of rope without the handles. Sometimes they had handles made from old bobbins from the textile factories, like the one you can see in this picture.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Skittles The Victorians enjoyed playing games that were challenging., like skittles. Skittles were popular because they helped to develop hand-eye coordination. Children would play against each other to try and knock down the skittles. The person who knocks down the most wins.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Quoits This is a game that involves throwing rings over wooden poles. Each pole is worth a certain amount of points. The winner of the game is the person who scores the most points.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Hobby Horse Toy horses were popular in the Victorian times. Before the car was invented horses were used a lot for travelling around. Rich Victorian children would have had a rocking horse in their nursery room, but they were very expensive. Hobby horses were cheaper to make. Sometimes the bottom of the pole had a small wheel attached to make it more fun to ride around on. These were popular toys for having races around the garden or streets with friends.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Imagebank 03 Hoop and Stick This was a popular children s game played outdoors, where a large hoop is rolled along the ground using a stick to move it along. The aim of the game was to keep the hoop rolling for as long as possible. Richer children could afford shop bought hoop and sticks that were made from metal. Poorer children could use a wooden hoop and stick, or even a bicycle rim.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Rich and poor children The kind of lifestyle a Victorian child had depended on how much money their family had. The Victorians were seperated into 3 main groups: - Upper Class = very rich - Middle Class = fairly rich - Working Class = poor Upper Class This group of people had a lot of money and included very important people, such as Lords, Ladies and Dukes. They could afford large houses and employed lots of servants. Their children enjoyed the best food, education, clothes and toys. Boys were often sent away to boarding schools, while the girls were taught at home. Middle Class The middle classes had enough money to live comfortably but they could not afford all the luxuries that the upper classes had. This group of people included teachers, shopkeepers and farmers who would live in nice houses and have between 1 and 5 servants. Their children would go to a local school that had to be paid for or would be taught at home by their mother. They had nice clothes, good food, toys and a small holiday in the summer to the seaside. Working Class Children from working class families had very little because their parents were too poor. Any money they had was spent on food and their house. Children would wear second hand clothes that were in bad condition and went to work instead of school. Shoes were so expensive that many children ran around with bare feet. A lot of children became orphans and ended up living on the streets (see the above picture).
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 girls and boys Using the pictures of toys from the image bank put them into 3 groups. One for girls, one for boys and one for both in the boxes below. Write down the name of the toys you think would be played with by girls, boys or both. Why do you think some toys were played with by boys and others by girls? Girls Boys Both Doll Yo-yo Marbles
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 materials matter Using the pictures of toys from the image bank put them into 3 groups. One for wood, one for china and one for other in the boxes below. Write down the name of the toys you think are made from wood, china or other materials. Why do you think these materials were used? Wood China Other
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Outdoor games Over the next 3 pages you will find examples of traditional Victorian outdoor games. Try these games out with your class for them to experience life as a Victorian child. Blind Man s Bluff One child is selected to be blindfolded so that he/she cannot see and is placed in the middle of the room/playground. All the other children gather around him/her and say the following rhyme: Children ask: How many horses has your Father got?. The blindfolded child replies with: Three! Children ask: What colours are they? Blindfolded child: Black, white and grey! Children: Turn around three times and catch who you may! The blindfolded child is then turned around three times (the teacher might be best to do this) and then he/she has to try and catch one of the other children. All the other children have to avoid being caught, but if they are that child becomes the next person to be blindfolded.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Outdoor games Mulberry Bush The children form into a ring and holding hands they run around in a circle singing: Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush; Here we go round the mulberry bush On a cold and frosty morning. They then let go of each others hands and pretend to wash their hands, standing in place this time singing: This is the way we wash our hands, Wash our hands, wash our hands; This is the way we wash our hands On a cold and frosty morning. Repeat the first verse (mulberry bush), followed by (using appropriate actions): This is the way we wash our face, Wash our face, wash our face; This is the way we wash our face On a cold and frosty morning. Reapeat first verse. This can then be followed by any rhymes of their own invention.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Outdoor games Tom Fiddler s Ground One part of the playground (or whatever area you are playing in) is marked off as Tom Fiddler s Ground - it is usually best to draw a line with chalk or mark it off with a rope. In this area one child is selected to be Tom Fiddler. He/she is only allowed to stay in this area and cannot cross the line at any time. In Tom Fiddler s ground objects should be scattered around that the rest of the class must try and retrieve (small bean bags are good for this). The rest of the class have to try and cross over to Tom Fiddler s ground and collect the objects, whilst singing Here I am on Tom Fiddler s ground, picking up gold and silver! The child who is playing Tom has to try and catch the thief, but only when they are on his ground. If Tom manages to catch a thief that child then becomes the new Tom Fiddler and the game begins again.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Make your own peg doll Poorer children had very few toys, if any, and those that they did have were often home made. Little girls loved to have dolls to play with, just like today, but Victorian dolls were very expensive. A peg doll was a good alternative for a poor child because it used scrap materials that they would have around their homes. To make a peg doll you will need: - A dolly peg - scraps of material - ribbon or wool - scissors - glue - paint or thin line felt tip pens (for adding a face to the peg) Instructions: 1. First paint or draw a face onto the top of your peg. 2. Using scraps of fabric, wraparound the bottom of the peg (where the legs are) to make a skirt and secure in place using a little bit of glue. 3. using a piece of thin ribbon or wool tie it around the top of the skirt to make sure it is held in place. 4. Wrap wool around the top of the peg to make a top for your doll. 5. Now she s dressed use extra wool to make hair. Extra: You can also make a boy peg doll by wrapping wool around the individual prongs of the peg to make it look like trousers. See the pictures on the next page for inspiration.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Make your own peg doll
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Make your own paper windmill Poorer children had very few toys, if any, and those that they did have were often home made. Victorian children loved toys that had the power to move, which these toys can when you blow on them or leave them outside in the wind. To make a paper windmill you will need: - A4 card - coloured paper/card - split pin - small bead (with a whole big enough to slid onto the split pin) Instructions: 1. Role your A4 card into a tube, length ways around 2-3cm in circumference. 2. First cut out the square template from the following page. 3. Cut down the dotted lines, making sure to leave the 1cm gap from the centre dot. 4. Fold the dotted top corners down to the centre and hold in place. You should have four corners gathered into the middle and be able to see your windmill taking shape. 5. This next bit can be a bit tricky so you may need some help from a friend. Carefully place the pin through the centre of the windmill, making sure it keeps all four pieces of folded down paper in place. 6. Now add your bead onto the back of the pin and stick into your cardboard tube, folding down the ends on the pin to stop it from coming out. 7. Your windmill is now complete and should easily spin around when blown. Extra: To extend this activity use recycled newspaper like the Victorian working class children would have done or why not enlarge th template and make a huge paper windmill.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Supporting Documents 03 Make your own peg doll Template for Paper Windmill
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Glossary 04 Victorian: Refers to anyone or anything that belonged to the time of Queen Victoria s reign over Britain between 1837 and 1901. Industrial Revolution: This refers to the rapid growth of industry during the 1800s. Servant: The term used to describe anyone who is employed to work in a household as a servant of some kind. Etiquette: This refers to the rules that people must follow for good manners and behaviour when interacting with other people. Social Class: People are placed into groups of upper class, middle class and lower or working class. Whatever group people fall into is know as their social class. This was of particular importance in past times. Great Exhibition: Queen Victoria s husband, Prince Albert, put together a very large exhibition In London in 1851 for people from around the world to display their new inventions that helped to make the Industrial revolution such a ig success. This was called the Great Exhibition.
Victorian Outdoor Toys and Games: KS1 Useful Links 05 If you are interested in finding out more detailed information about the Victorian era and Victorian toys and games take a look at these links. Websites: Information about Victorian Toys and Games http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britian/toys_and_games/ Museum of Childhood http://www.vam.ac.uk/moc/childrens_lives/entertainment/index.html Books: Kate Greenaway s Book of Games by Kate Greenaway Victorian Toys by Mandy Ross Victorian Children by Brenda Williams