Our exciting and expressive Key Stage 2 session on the Ancient Greeks enables the children to discover all about this important and culturally sophisticated civilization through the material evidence they left behind. The session lasts 2 hours and is structured in three main parts:
Firstly, there is a session on the formation of the museum and the role of archaeologists and curators in the development of our knowledge about ancient people and how they lived. The children will learn how to read the pots that surround them in the museum to understand what they are made from, how they were used and what the shape, size and decoration can tell us about the people who owned or produced them. The children are encouraged to make choices according to what appeals to them in our collections and use the knowledge they have learned to deduce who might have used their favourite pots and what for. There are opportunities for them to share their findings with the group, encouraging discussion and improving confidence.
The children will then have the chance to handle ancient objects and apply the concepts that we have discussed, working together in their groups and with the help of museum staff to understand the handling objects and the people who made and used them. This will include myth and religion, the mechanisms for ancient Greek social interactions such as the Symposium and the material culture of ordinary people in the ancient world.
Finally, the children will get creative with our vase animations and get the chance to re-enact, again as part of a group, their own interpretation of some of the mythical scenes on our pots. This is a gloriously uplifting way to end the session and is always really enjoyed as a way of reinforcing learning.