Dorchester Abbey and Dorchester Village Trail
Mrs Phillips, Mrs Quinn, Miss Harrison and Miss Pullinger took Year 4 to Dorchester in May. The trip included 4 activities:
- Abbey & grounds pilgrimage with the Education Officer
- Museum visit and artefact handling with a local historian
- ‘Hunt The Treasures’ and ‘Discover Parts of a Church’ with a knowledgeable guide
- Finally, a craft session which involved the careful creation of a pilgrim’s badge – these looked amazing! Plus, a little brass rubbing.
All the activities were interesting and interactive. The tour engaged the children as it moved round the inside and outside of the Abbey and the children loved dressing up. The museum visit was fascinating with historical artefacts to handle (and a quick visit to the museum shop) and the ‘Hunt the Treasures’ and ‘Discover Parts of a Church’ was a good chance for the children to move round the Abbey, searching out treasures and understanding the layout.
Ellie, the Education Officer, drew plenty of excellent questions out of our Year 4 children at the beginning and her plenary brought everything together with all questions answered. The rain held off when we most needed it to and we could eat our picnic lunch in the Abbey tea room garden.
The craft session was a new feature, as was the Village Trail, which took in geographical features too. Dorchester has a rich history taking in the Bronze Age and Iron Age, the Wittenham Clumps and Dyke Hills, a Roman town, St. Birinus and King Cynegils – a small village with a fascinating history and a huge church. And a group of very interested and well-behaved children.
An excellent day!
Written by Mrs Phillips
Categories: Trips
