What is it?
Historic re-enactments are both educational and entertaining. Typically the re-enactments take the form of dressing up in a style from the past in order to focus on a particular theme or time period. These can take the form of participation events such as mock trials, industrial workplaces or Victorian schoolroom sessions through to observations of major rehearsed re-enactments such as battles. Battle re-enactments often take the form of combat demonstrations, which are generally performed by a company to members of the public and are loosely based around actual events with costumes, armour and weapons from the period in use.
What does it involve?
The level of involvement differs depending on whether you would like to get your pupils involved in the re-enactment or not. If you are to be involved in the re-enactment then you will be brief by a member of the re-enactment team on what is expected of the pupils prior to the event. Pupils will often dress in appropriate clothing for the time period they are re-enacting and will learn historical facts as the re-enactment takes place. If you are watching a re-enactment you will simply sit and observe the show whilst learning about the specific topic, often being narrated by members of the performing troupe.
Why do it and what are the benefits?
Watching re-enactments will help students to learn about a given time period. Having a visual of a specific topic is far better than simply reading about it. Better still actually involving students in the re-enactment will help all pupils recall facts especially helping kinaesthetic learners. There is also a lot of fun to be had in the dressing up!
What equipment do we need?
As with most activities where you visit an establishment to try it, the venue should provide the majority of the equipment you'll need to participate. You should always check beforehand though, as some places may ask you come dressed appropriately for the specific activity.
Who is it suitable for?
Watching an historic re-enactment is a suitable activity for children of all ages. If the pupils are to be partaking in the re-enactment then activity is only suitable for children in key stage 2 and upwards.
Costs?
The cost of a re-enactment varies depending on the amount of pupils you wish to take and whether you will be watching or partaking in the activity. The length of the re-enactment session will also have an impact on cost. Some venue such as castles and museums hold regular re-enactments so it may be worth looking at tying in your trip with a visit to an educational venue. Please research various providers in your area to find the best value offering.
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Simply watching an historic re-enactment poses little to no risk however some students may be sensitive to particular realistic recreations of battle scenes. If you are partaking in a re-enactment it is important to listen to any safety briefings given by the organisation. As with any school trip it is important you take any student specific medication with you if the re-enactment takes place off the premises.
How do we include?
Many venues now cater for pupils with physical disabilities. Please consult specific venues in your area to find out more about what they are set up for.
Doing it abroad?
There is a very big historical re-enactment scene in the united states however they often focus on events relevant to American history so may not be relevant to the Curriculum.
Main website:
For more information on Historic re-enactments please click here.
It is a good idea to research venues in your area before the trip.
Travel with smoke and steam in splendid Wales.
The line runs from Pant, near Merthyr Tydfil. Travel in one of our all-weather Observation Carriages, behind a vintage steam locomotive, into the Brecon Beacons National Park to see stunning views of the peaks of the Beacons across the Taf Fechan reservoir.
Set in over 500 acres of historic deer park, Wollaton Hall is a spectacular Tudor building home to the city's Natural History Museum.
Also see the Industrial Museum, Steam Engine House, Wollaton Visitor Centre and the Yard Gallery, plus exhibitions exploring art and the environment.
A story-telling walking tour all about ghosts! Where they haunt, why they haunt, a bit of gore, some heritage and history - and you might even spot the real ghost who haunts our tours!
Great local museum which celebrates the culture and social history of the people of Lincolnshire from 1750 to the present day. There are a number of exhibits, which illustrate commercial, agricultural, industrial, and domestic life.
Saltaire Village is near Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is named after Sir Titus Salt who built a textile mill, known as Salts Mill and this village on the River Aire.
Designed by architects, Lockwood and Mawson, Salts Mill was opened on Sir Titus Salt's 50th birthday, 20 September 1853.
Coldharbour Mill, built in 1799 as the first Spinning Mill in the South West, preserves a collection of Victorian Spinning Frames for the Worsted process & Hattersley Looms, still in use to produce Knitting Yarns, Tartan Cloth and Stair Runners.
Fairytale Georgian castle in magical surroundings, with Deer Park, Lake and Arboretum, Children's Adventure Playground and Assault Course, Knight's Maze and Burma Bridge Tree Top Walkway.
Inside this family home you'll find richly decorated Gothic interiors, Fine Art, Armour and much more.
Take the time to follow in the footsteps of author J.R.R. Tolkien, and see the sights that inspired his creation of Middle Earth.
Birmingham:
One of the finest local history collections in Hampshire, exploring 100 million years of history Displays include prehistoric tools, Roman pottery reconstruction, Saxon burials, the Battle of Alton 1643, the notorious tale of Sweet Fanny Adams and Hop picking and brewing.
Jane Austen Trail at the Curtis Museum
Discover the geology, archaeology and history of the Peak District through seven time zones, experience the Wonders of the Peak Time Tunnel and step into a Victorian scientists study in the Buxton Museum.
Education sessions in the museum
Make a voyage of discovery about Gosport in this exciting display, with objects, display panels and set pieces which trace the story of Gosport through the centuries.
Set in the picturesque valley of the Porter Brook, Shepherd Wheel is a unique working example of Sheffield knife grinding industry.
It was one of many small water-powered grinding workshops along Sheffield's rivers and is the earliest complete example of this industry with evidence dating it back to the 1500s.
Located in one of the city’s oldest industrial districts, the museum stands on a man-made island over 900 years old.
Kelham Island Museum was opened in 1982 to house the objects, pictures and archive material representing Sheffield’s industrial story.
Whether you are studying the Romans, Normans, castles, Victorians, or the Home Front and World War II, you will find plenty to keep your pupils engrossed both whilst visiting Cardiff Castle and during preparation and follow-up work at school.
Small Tudor artillery fort guarding Dartmouth's inner harbour, picturesquely sited on the quayside.
Dartmouth Museum is a small, fascinating and interesting museum housed in an atmospheric old merchant's house, built in approximately 1640.
The Brixham Heritage Museum and History Society was founded in 1958 for the purpose of recording, saving and displaying the heritage of the historic town and fishing port.
Since 1976, the Museum has been located in what was once the Police Station and Sergeant's House, built 1902.
The North Devon Maritime Museum offers a fascinating insight into the rich shipbuilding and seafaring history of the area. It is housed in a fine, Georgian Grade II listed building which has been the home of several ship owners and master mariners in the past 200 years and is situated in the picturesque village and sea port of Appledore.
It’s a day out for the whole family with model/miniature railways and a country park as well as heritage steam and diesel locomotives operating and a host of other attractions. Sometimes you can see special visitors, be it Thomas the Tank Engine, a vintage Steam or historic Diesel Loco.
A visit to Canterbury is not complete without experiencing Chaucer’s famous tales of medieval misadventures at one of the City’s most loved visitor attractions.
Experience the sights, sounds and smells of a bygone era in this fabulous recreation of medieval life; a unique introduction to Canterbury and its famous literary connection.
Found deep beneath the limestone hills on the edge of the historic Derbyshire spa town of Buxton. This secret underground world once echoed to the sound of a glacial river that scoured the rock for millions of years.
Fascinating displays and a few hands on experiments inspired by local mathematical physicist George Green, housed in his families' working windmill. Really interesting stuff plus lots of community and family events like seasonal crafts and cooking classes.
A great little local museum with plenty to discover such as a panoramic view of Victorian Louth, the story of the Ghost of the Green Lady, rock and fossils, plus 200,000 years of local archaeology!
Louth Museum will take you on an amazing journey of discovery, with several galleries, plus a courtyard to explore.
The Guards Museum is an excellent place to take your little (and large!) military buffs, plus anyone who would like to find out about the role of Foot Guards through history.
One of Edward I's 'Iron Ring' network of castles in north Wales with the remains of a defended river gate still exist in the outer ring of the walls, where the King canalised the river Clwyd for over a mile to ensure it was navigable for ships.
Nearby Twthill is an example of an earlier Norman motte. We delvier English and Science, Technology, Mathematics self-led activity packs.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.