Oakwell Hall and Country Park

Rags and Riches: Tudor Life at Oakwell Hall

This full day workshop will develop students' substantive knowledge of the period. Students will compare different roles and people in the Tudor period, using contemporary artefacts, furniture and architecture to describe Tudor society. They will be able to explain the significance of trade in the period, and how this became an important indicator of wealth. Students will understand how Oakwell Hall is situated within the wider Tudor and Stuart period, and how local people, such as the Batts, were representative of 'new wealth' in the Tudor period.

This will be achieved through disciplinary skills, as students are immersed in life in a Tudor household. They will use historical artefacts and sources to deepen their own interpretations of the Tudor period. They will analyse objects to make inferences about social class in the period, whilst comparing objects to develop a deeper chronological understanding.

1. Hall tour - Explore the hall and uncover evidence about the Batt family and their staff.
2. Herbs and spices - Investigate the significance of herbs and spices in the Tudor period.
3. History and mystery - Make inferences using objects to learn about the different people who lived at Oakwell Hall in the Tudor period.
4. Sketching and writing - Write and draw like a Tudor with quill and sketching lessons.
5. Costume analysis - Learn about what clothes can tell us about social class in the Tudor period, and have a chance to dress up in our historically accurate costumes.
6. Ghost story - Learn about Oakwell Hall's famous ghost!

Country Park Detectives:

Students will develop knowledge linked to the natural world, focusing on plant and animal life, and the environment. They will use fieldwork skills such as observation, recording, making predictions, testing hypothesis and presenting findings.

1. Mini beast safari: Roam the woods to identify tiny critters, looking for evidence of their movement. Learn all about worms and then be inspired to create a creature of your own using natural materials.
2. Plant detectives: Learn about trees and leaves by comparing different shapes, sizes, patterns and textures then try to find flowers of all colours of our rainbow. Find out more about their uses in cooking, medicine and dyes.
3. Pond detectives: Go pond dipping to see what lurks beneath the surface in our waters. Learn all about the lifecycle of frogs and have an exciting time pretending to be a frog, and then making a frog of your own!
4. Rocks and fossils: Learn about the main rock groups and use your knowledge to identify and categorise different rocks, considering their uses in the past and present. Find out more about our landscape thousands of years ago, handling real fossils.
5. Soil scientists: Become scientists and undertake your own fieldwork study. Collect and test soil samples to learn about soil permeability. Learn about the features of different soils and uncover how to identify these yourself.
6. Nature art: Create artworks inspired by the natural world.