Abingdon House Beach Day- in School!
Date: Sunday 1 June 2008
On May 14th, despite a change in the weather, all Abingdon House children and staff arrived in school dressed for ‘Beach Day'.
We were lucky to have a visit from ‘History Off the Page’, and we spent the day recreating and experiencing aspects of a seaside holiday of the past. The children were asked to take the rôle of when their grandma’s grandma was their age now!
The day was divided into three very practical sessions: during the first session the children looked at artefacts from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods along with souvenirs from the fifties. Many children had a chance to dress up in ‘old fashioned clothes’ and they joined in with songs and rhymes from these times.
The second session was given over to preparing games and to making souvenirs for the afternoon visit to the pier. The children also looked at old money, which sadly many of the staff could still remember using when they were small. Favourites were the ‘roll a penny’ game and the making of shell boxes.
The afternoon saw the hall transformed into a pier. The children acted out boarding a train to the seaside; then they took turns in being stall holders selling their wares to visitors. The whole day was rounded off with a traditional Punch and Judy Show.
A great way to visit the seaside without actually getting on a coach – sorry, charabanc!
All photographs: copyright Thomas Hooley 2008
