Year 5 home learners have been learning all about ‘Cool Castles!’

Castles have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. Some castles are ruins with only small parts of them left standing. Some castles have people living in them today or are open to the public so we can learn more about their history.

Stirling Castle is a Scottish castle that dominates above the River Forth at the meeting point between Lowlands and Highlands. Its origins are ancient and over the centuries it grew into a great royal residence and a powerful stronghold.

Year 5 have been learning about some of the jobs children would have been made to do at Sterling Castle.

Peat cutter
As a Peat Cutter, you’d be working in a bog. No, not a toilet, a peat bog!
Peat is a mixture of rotten grass, plants and small animals. It looks a lot like mud and is really soggy and very squelchy.
Your job as a peat cutter would be to help cut the peat into squares, which you’d then pile up to dry. Once it had dried out, you would carry it into the house to be used on the fire.

Climbing boy
Sadly, this job didn’t mean you’d spend all day climbing trees! In fact, Climbing Boy or Girl was just another name for a chimney sweep.
From the age of 5 or 6, you’d climb up inside chimneys with a big brush and sweep all the soot out. It was dark, dirty and very dangerous – lots of climbing boys and girls got lost or fell and hurt themselves.
Here at the castle, there’s a tale of one young climbing boy who climbed into the Palace chimneys and was never seen again…

Luckily Harrison and James didn’t have to do any of those jobs while on a trip to Lancaster castle.

For DT the children were asked to create a castle using objects and materials they found around the house. Oliver made a fabulous castle out of Lego. Can you spot the Palisade? (The outer defensive wall normally made from wood)

For art, the children have been creating castle silhouettes. Here is Isabella’s beautiful and haunting castle silhouette.

Why don’t you have a go at some of the castle challenges Year 5 have been doing this week?

🕐  2 minute challenge

Make a list of ALL the films, books and games you know that have a castle in them.

🕐  5 minute challenge

Make a list of the names of any castles you know.

This is just some of the fantastic examples of home learning from this week. Well done to all our home learners!