As Christmas was approaching Class 1 travelled back in time to the 1800s, where they stepped into the shoes of the children of Newstead Abbey estate workers for Mr. Webb.
The children looked splendid in their Victorian-style costumes as they accepted an invitation to the grand house for a traditional Christmas celebration. Upon arrival, they were warmly welcomed by Mr. Webb and his staff in the Grand Hall.
Here, the children enjoyed a variety of traditional parlour games, including Flap the Fish, Quack, Quack Statues, and Sleeping Lions, where, a ‘cheeky monkey’ bravely attempted to collect a ring of keys from the sleeping lions without being caught much to everyone’s delight. The children were then introduced to the Victorian toys that the Webb children would have played with, before being shown the children’s nursery at the top of the house.
They were fascinated to learn that the nursery was never heated unless a child was unwell. In the schoolroom, with its traditional desks and ink wells, they discovered that answering a
question incorrectly could result in wearing a dunce’s hat – a stark reminder of Victorian discipline! In the afternoon, they descended to the kitchens, where they explored the uses of different herbs and even created their own herb bags, designed to cure all ills.
Then ended the day by watching a magic lantern show.
