On Tuesday 7 May, the children in Year 2 set off on an exciting trip to Brighton Toy and Model Museum. What awaited them in the arches beneath Brighton railway station was a treasure trove of toys and models from floor to ceiling with dolls, puppets, trains, teddies, cars and building materials to suit every child’s taste!
They participated in exciting workshops where they learned about the history of toys – did you know that the oldest toy in the world is the spinning top, first played with 6000 years ago? The children donned white gloves and became curators to handle historic toys including a metal model tram, a 100-year-old teddy and friction-operated train. In another part of the workshop, they explored the material that toys are made out of, an excellent link to our Science curriculum, and saw the very first Lego sets! The children used ‘Mecchano’ (which means Make-And-Know, did you know?) to create simple geometric shapes before experimenting with all the different images and objects they could create.
After lunch in the train gallery (where watching the model electric train sets whizz by was almost exciting as the sandwiches!), we participated in a story planning and writing workshop, inspired by the items in the museum’s impressive collection. The museum director, Jan, guided the class through planning a really exciting story, including conflict and a resolution at the end. The children enjoyed having freedom to explore and select their favourite toys to plan a story.
Before long, it was time for us to head back to the bus after a truly wonderful day!
Learn more about Brighton Toy and Model Museum
