Recently, Year 2 enjoyed an insightful visit to Brighton Toy and Model Museum. The pupils went on a journey of discovery to find out about the oldest toys we know about and they looked at a timeline dating back 6,000 years to when the spinning top was first played with by children.
Pupils learnt about the evolution of toys, considering the materials they have been made from throughout history and how different toys have been used and played with. They applied this knowledge brilliantly when comparing old and new dolls, teddy bears and yo-yos.
A highlight of the morning was taking on the role of museum curators, handling a range of historic tin and wooden toys and investigating how they are powered, such as by hand, using wind up mechanisms, batteries or electricity.
The children had the opportunity to construct triangles using Meccano pieces, nuts and bolts to learn how stable structures can be formed in building play scenarios. They displayed great understanding of how triangles are more structurally sound than squares or rectangles.
During the afternoon workshop, the children listened attentively to a story about toys before using the museum exhibits to inspire their own stories. Pupils selected their favourite toys from a range of over 12,000 toys on display to create characters and plotlines drawing on their imaginations. They have brought their story plans back to school and are looking forward to bringing their narratives to life in Literacy lessons over the coming weeks.
