Students go back in time for a "traditional Christmas"

Sunday 23 December 2018

Over 300 primary school children wound back the clocks this month to experience a traditional Georgian Christmas Day.

Year 2 students from around the island spent the day enjoying a “Traditional Christmas” at the National Trust’s Georgian townhouse as part of a historical and festive interactive learning experience.

 The Georgian-themed day was full of “immersive” activities for the students to take part in, like stirring the Christmas pudding, learning a traditional dance in Georgian clothing, laying the table for a ten-course feast, as well as a historical quiz.

With the support of Ogier, the National Trust launched the new free programme for primary school students earlier this month.

Pictured: The Georgian Christmas took place at the National Trust's New Street premises.

Catherine Ward, the National Trust’s House and Collections Manager and organiser of the programme made sure to link the activities and workshops to the curriculum, so the day could be enjoyed by as many schools as possible.

She said: "Historic buildings provide first-hand experiences that cannot be recreated in the classroom – an opportunity for pupils to engage with real objects, real stories, real people and real environments. To ensure that every child had a memorable visit, we tried to provide as many hands-on activities as possible to ensure that there was something to appeal to everyone."

Alongside their sponsorship of the day, Ogier sent volunteers down to 16 New Street to support the festive and traditional workshops set up for the primary school students.

Pictured: History was brought to life before the eyes of the primary school youngsters.

Kate Kirk, Head of Marketing at Ogier, said: “Education is at the heart of Ogier’s corporate social responsibility initiatives, and having sponsored ‘A Miller’s Life’ at Le Moulin de Quétivel in the autumn, we were delighted to support ‘A traditional Christmas’ for younger students at 16 New Street. 

She continued: "Feedback from the 300 Year 5 students who visited the watermill earlier this year was that their experience was both fun and educational, so we were pleased to continue this support for the National Trust's education work with the Traditional Christmas. It was a great opportunity for Ogier volunteers to see for themselves how history has been brought to life for young people in the Island."