Year 1 - Museum of Kent - 2 February

Our class visited the Museum of Kent Life in Maidstone. When we got there, we had to dress as Victorian children so the girls put on mop caps and aprons and the boys wore waistcoats and caps! Even the adults got dressed up. Sarah the scullery maid arrived and explained how wash day in Victorian times worked.

In teams, we had to wash a piece of ‘horse muck covered’ cloth using some smelly carbolic soap, a bucket of cold water and a washboard. It was hard work but we got the cloths clean. Then Sarah showed us how to use the mangle to get the cloths dry. We really had to work hard to turn the handle and squeeze all the water out of the cloths.

Sarah showed us the different types of iron that would have been used in the past and we tested our strength to see if we could’ve ironed all day with an old fashioned iron....they were VERY heavy!

After lunch, we explored the grounds of the museum and looked for signs of spring, went to look at some farm animals and visited the playground and souvenir shop. We had a very enjoyable day and were exhausted on the coach back to school!