The History Van – bringing the past to your door
No coaches, no entrance fees – the museum comes to you!
Written by a teacher for teachers and their children
The History Van activities are very flexible to suit schools of all sizes. They can be half a day or a full day; they can be combined with other sessions to cover more of your curriculum; they can be run for one class, one Year group or the whole school!
All the children are involved all of the time, from 9.00 am until 3.00 pm, whether with Jenny or (if more than one class is involved) with object-based activities overseen by their teachers.
There are starter sessions to involve all the children at the beginning of the day and finisher sessions to draw all the strings together and to perform or make decisions about what they have learnt during the day.
Current Sessions from The History Van
EYFS/Reception
- What Was Here Before?
- 90 Years Ago
- Exploring the Moon
- Now & Then – Toys and Games
- British Values – We Wish You a Merry Christmas – A non-faith look at where our Christmas Traditions come from
Key Stage 1
- When Grandma Was a Girl
- Now & Then – Toys and Games
- Now & Then – Housework
- Now & Then – Communication
- Now & Then – A combination of all the Now & Then topics
- What Was Here Before – From Sheep to Woolly Jumpers
- School Days: Victorian, Edwardian or 1930s
- Castles – Living in a Castle
- Moon Landing and Space Race
- Florence Nightingale – a Local Lady
- Thomas Bolsover, Sheffield (inventor of Sheffield Plate)
- George Stephenson, Chesterfield (Railways and Steam Engines)
- John Smedley, Matlock (Hydros and Spas)
- British Values – We Wish You a Merry Christmas – A non-faith look at where our Christmas Traditions come from
Key Stage 2
- Surviving the Stone Age
- Egyptians – Burying the Pharaoh
- Ancient Greece – Inventions and Discoveries
- Romans in Britain
- Anglo-Saxons – Peace at Last?
- Vikings in an Anglo Saxon Land – Dig It!
- 1066 and the Coming of the Normans
- Black Death and Revolting Peasants
- Tudors and Religious Turmoil
- Plague and Fire – 17th Century London and Eyam
- The Mayans – a Very Non-European Civilisation
- Victorians – Children at Work, Home and Play
- WW1: My Village/Town in the Great War
- WW2: How We Survived The War
- Now & Then – Entertainment
- Life Since 1948
- School Days Throughout Time or Victorian, Edwardian or 1930s
- British Values – We Wish You a Merry Christmas – A non-faith look at where our Christmas Traditions come from
Key Stage 3
- WW1: Our Village/Town in The Great War
- How We Survived World War 2
Bespoke History Topics – Developed to focus on your school’s local area or a particular celebration or anniversary. Please contact The History Van to discuss ideas for your school.
PRICE
£295 full day (£190 half day) for one class
plus £30 for each additional class
plus travel expenses from Sheffield
Can be as little as £3.50/child for a 3 class day – no bus or coach fares! Smaller schools please contact The History Van to discuss prices.
Please contact Jenny Bland thehistoryvan@gmail.com
FRSA, BSc, PGCE, PGC Heritage Management; formerly freelance with Kelham Island Museum, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, Millenium Galleries, Weston Park Museum, Whirlow Hall Farm, Chesterfield Museum
The History Van 