Rachel Ireson, Year 4 class teacher, Stalham Middle School, Norwich We’ve been studying the Broads, so our visit to the museum has helped reinforce many topics. The children had already looked at the marshman’s life, the importance of reed and sedge, and how the Broads were formed.
They were excited to find they recognised many of the tools and products on display. We hadn’t looked at wherries, so it’s great that the museum focuses on this central aspect of trade. That helps complete the children’s picture of life on the Broads 150 years ago.
Coming here dovetails well with our geography work on rivers and waterways and the children have also been interested in the area’s habitat, which we covered in science.
I visited the museum before our trip and prepared a worksheet. Although it’s a small museum, there are plenty of displays to look at and the worksheet helped focus their attention on areas that appealed to them.
It’s important to the school that the pupils understand the area and feel a sense of belonging to it. The Broads is a unique place and, as local children, they are part of its continuing history.
