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Find out more about Kent Life Heritage Farm Park’s Second World War Evacuee Experience and Rag Rug Making workshop.
Itinerary: Second World War Evacuee Experience and Rag Rug Making Workshop
Provider: Kent Life Heritage Farm Park, Maidstone, Kent
Subjects: History, Science and Art
Key Stage: 1 to 3
Heritage and fun sit side by side in the 28-acre site at Kent Life Heritage Farm Park, which includes a traditional working farm and rural buildings. Pupils visiting here can discover what life in rural Kent used to be like as they explore houses ranging from the Victorian Pett’s farmhouse to the 1950s Sandling farmhouse, and learn about domestic life and occupations such as carpentry, blacksmithing and hop growing.
The farm park hosts daily events, and most are included in the admission price. All visiting schools enjoy a tractor ride and, in Cuddle Corner, pupils can meet smaller animals, in addition to helping feed the pigs or the goats, meet the ferrets or bottle-feed the lambs.
Kent Life offers a wide range of pre-bookable hands-on workshops, which are linked to the National Curriculum and delivered by knowledgeable, enthusiastic educators and actors. The attraction can accommodate groups of up to 150 children, and education officers are on hand to help with itinerary planning and suggest which sessions are most suited to requirements.
Kent Life also runs award-winning historical theme days, where pupils take part in a carousel of seven interactive workshops on themes varying from Stone Age, Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings through to World War Two and Victorians.
Timings
10:00am: Teachers and pupils are welcomed by an education officer and escorted to their lunch room, where bags can be left. A Kent life ‘entertainer’ provides an overview of the day and most groups are split in two.
10:30am: The first group stays in the village hall for the World War Two Evacuee Experience workshop. In this hands-on interactive session pupils experience what it was like for city children to be evacuated to the countryside. The second group tours the World War Two cottage, which is authentically furnished, complete with sticky tape on the windows to reduce the chance of shattering, and an Anderson shelter in the garden, which the pupils also visit.
11:15am: Groups swap over.
12:00pm: Time for packed lunch and teachers can get hot drinks in the tea room. There is also an opportunity for pupils to visit the gift shop.
1:00pm: Group one goes to the Oast House for the Rag Rug Making workshop, learning how people in wartime had to ‘make do and mend’. They each make a small rug to take home. Meanwhile, the second group goes on the tractor ride, visits Cuddle Corner and has time in the adventure playground.
1:45pm: Groups swap over and leave at the end of the session.
To find out more call 01622-762936 or visit www.kentlife.org.uk.
