A GREAT Day Being Greeks!

Today, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dez from Portals to the Past to run an exciting workshop all about the Ancient Greeks. This immersive experience was the perfect way to kick-start our new history topic with a bang!

We began by exploring Ancient Greece on a map, identifying key cities such as Sparta, Athens, and Elis. The children also learned about Mount Olympus, believed to be the dwelling place of the Greek gods, where they feasted and ruled.

Next, we discovered the Greeks’ incredible contributions to geometry and architecture. In teams, the children tackled a challenging wooden puzzle, carefully considering angles and edges. After successfully completing the task with the help of a key, they faced an even tougher challenge—solving it again without the key!

After break, the children became historians, taking part in a Greek quiz. Display boards were set up around the hall, and they independently circulated the space, using the information on the boards to answer historical questions. They approached this brilliantly, with some even creating their own questions to challenge their peers.

Just before lunch, we delved into Greek mythology, focusing on the legendary tales of Perseus and Medusa, as well as Theseus and the Minotaur. The children were captivated by these epic stories of bravery and adventure, mystery and mischief!

In the afternoon, we started by learning an interesting Greek game that required a strategic mind. It was called Petteia and involved moving pieces north, east, south and west on a chequered board in order to try and sandwich one of the other counters between our two pieces. I think the children would have happily played this all afternoon, however we had even more cool this to look at… Greek weaponry and armour! The children were amazed—and shocked—by how heavy the weapons and armour were! We also learned about famous battles in history and how, despite the absence of cameras, evidence from ancient buildings, pottery, and paintings has helped historians piece together what life was like in Ancient Greece.

I must say, the children were absolutely brilliant today! Their enthusiasm, curiosity, and knowledge were bursting at the seams. Not only did they impress with their fantastic costumes, but they also engaged wholeheartedly in every activity. Dez thoroughly enjoyed working with them and even commented that Year 5 were a credit to our school.

A huge thank you to Dez and Portals to the Past for bringing history to life and igniting the excitement for our new topic!