Sophie (aged 7) and Ellie (age 5) tell the story of children in Victorian times. We learn what school was like (not very nice!), what jobs they did (yucky ones!) and what they did for fun.
----more----
Ellie has a Victorian day coming up at school. She has to dress up as a Victorian school girl. So she and Sophie decide to explore what life was like back then. We start by learning about the huge changes that happened during Queen Victoria’s long reign. Incredible inventions like the steam ship and the telephone occur and huge changes like the growth of the British Empire happen. This is a time of enormous change.
But the lives of children changes too.
We learn how the lives of rich children and poor children are very different. Rich children are educated at home by the governesses before the boys are sent to boarding school. Ellie is outraged to learn that rich girls are rarely sent to school.
Poor children are increasingly sent to school by Victorians. But the classes are huge. Sometimes 70 or 80 children in the class with only one teacher. As a result the teachers are very strict. The girls are fascinated by the punishments that the school teachers use - from lines to caning to a dunce cap.
We also learn about the jobs that children used to do. Everything from cleaning up horse poo to clambering up chimneys or working in factories. Much of it is very dangerous or horrid work.
But it’s not all work and no play. The Victorians invent the idea of a holiday. Children from the cities get to visit the new playgrounds of the seaside which are turned into fun resorts. More children’s toys are invented and a new type of book is written – the Children’s book. Incredible stories such as Treasure Island, the Jungle Book and Peter Pan are written.
But when all is said and done the girls decide that Victorian life is not for them. It’s too strict and not fun enough.
This episode has a strong link to Key Stage 1 (KS1) topic work. And in fact, both girls have studied the life of a Victorian child at school and dressed up as a Victorian child.
If you liked this episode you might also like our Florence Nightingale episode.
https://www.historystorytime.com/e/florence-nightingale-the-lady-of-the-lamp/
PATRONS’ CLUB
If you like History Storytime you might like to join our Patron’s Club. You can get access to exclusive episodes, choose and episode or even be in an episode. Details here:
https://www.patreon.com/historystorytime
Episodes already available include the Seven Wonders of the World and the Bayeux Tapestry.
The Fall of the Roman Republic: The Rise of Augustus
Fall of the Roman Republic: The Death of Caesar
The Siege of Vienna of 1683
Harriet Tubman
The History of Ukraine
The Wars of the Roses
Genghis Khan
Captain Cook and the European Discovery of Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii
History of the Christmas Carol
World War Two - Blitzkrieg
The Invention of the Tank
The History of Pollution and Saving the Planet
The Fall of Constantinople
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
The Aztecs
Hallowe‘en Special: Ghosts in History
The History of the Police
The Cold War
Napoleon‘s March on Moscow in 1812
Gruesome Executions in History
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
8 Tiny Reindeer
Kids Of The Future
Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids
Black Beauty
The Federalist Papers
Circle Round
Little Stories for Tiny People: Anytime and bedtime stories for kids