It’s that time in a new term when we have to think about a new topic and how to introduce it.

This time ASD1 did not have a mystery box, but a Wonder Bag with six things in it. Firstly these were to be felt in the bag (not looked at) and for the pupil doing the feeling to guess what it might be. Then we looked at the object, described it and then tried to think what connection it might have to our yet unnamed context for learning.

Item number 1
This was described as soft, squishy, white, round, a cylinder and we use it in our house.
Item number 2
This was smooth, hard, cold, metal and made a great pop-up sound. We also use this in the house.
Item number 3
Smooth, hard, it has buttons, phone home, dial 999 it’s an emergency….
Another thing we use at home, but what is the connection?
Item number 4
Pirates use this! It is round, I can see you! We don’t really use this at home and we still couldn’t see a connection.
Item number 5
Smooth, cold, funny shape, metal, glass, don’t break it! It’s another household object.
Item number 6
This was tiny, paper, sticky, square, not square, it’s Christmas! Although we agreed that it’s something people use this was not the connection.

We talked about how each of these things looked very different when Miss Carson was young and even more different when her Grandparents were young. Were these things invented long ago? Now we were getting there! With a choice of the 2000s, 1900s or 1800s the pupils agreed that these things might have been invented in the 1800s – which was correct. Did you know that all of our objects were first invented in the Victorian Age?

Over most of this term ASD1 are going to look at what life was like for a child in the Victorian age and what differences and similarities there might be between then and now.

Just think when you use any of these items that they were invented in the time of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901)!