This week Year 3 were transported over two thousand years into the past as they took part in a truly captivating Ancient Greece workshop, led by the ever entertaining and knowledgeable History Man, Mr Cadle. The session was packed with exciting hands-on activities, storytelling, and fascinating facts that brought this ancient civilisation vividly to life.
The morning began with a look at a large map of Europe, where the children located Greece and discussed the vast empire of Alexander the Great learning how he conquered numerous countries and enslaved many people along the way. This sparked thoughtful conversations about leadership, power, and empire.
Year 3 then explored how the Ancient Greeks have shaped modern life, from giving us the foundations of our alphabet and language, to influencing the design of buildings like Worcester’s own Crown Court with its impressive Greek-style columns. A real highlight was learning about Ancient Greek currency. The children were fascinated to see and even handle original coins from the time of Alexander the Great, over 2325 years old! They discovered that one obol was about the value of a modern 10p coin, and that six obols made a drachma.
As part of their exploration of Greek society, the class learned how status and wealth were recorded and compared these ancient practices to social structures we see today. They were both intrigued and amused by the section on Ancient Greek medicine, learning about Hippocrates’ rather unusual diagnostic methods, including examining, and even drinking, urine samples!
The workshop also covered the Olympic Games, with Year 3 discovering the origins of events like the pentathlon, chariot racing, and wrestling. They learned the Olympics originally rotated between four cities—Olympia, Delphi, Corinth, and Nemea—explaining the modern tradition of the Games being held every four years. The class were captivated by tales from Greek mythology, learning about gods and monsters, including Gaia, the supreme deity, and terrifying creatures like Hippa Ton Kires, a beast with 50 heads and 100 arms, said to have challenged the gods themselves.
To bring it all to life, pupils tried on Ancient Greek clothing and armour, held swords and shields, and crafted their own clay animals or human figures, inspired by myths that humans were first made from clay for the gods’ amusement. They ended the session with a lively round of Ancient Greek games, including an energetic Tug o’ War that had everyone laughing.
It was a truly unforgettable morning for Year 3, filled with discovery, hands-on learning, and historical fun. Huge thanks to Mr Cadle, our wonderful History Man, for such an enriching and exciting experience!
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