Core Skills Analysis
History
At Poppylands, Soleil-Rose explored historical objects connected with everyday life in Britain during the Second World War. By observing household items, toys, gas masks, bombs and bullets, Soleil-Rose gained insight into both home life and the equipment associated with wartime. The visit helped Soleil-Rose understand that life in the 1940s differed from life today and encouraged careful attention to objects as clues to the past.
Technology and Everyday Life
Soleil-Rose examined old radios, televisions, toys and household objects, learning how technology and entertainment have changed over time. Comparing these artefacts with familiar modern life helped Soleil-Rose consider how people’s homes and leisure activities differed during the 1940s. This supported historical thinking by connecting changes in objects with changes in daily routines.
Food, Shopping, and Economics
Soleil-Rose visited the museum shop and bought sweets similar to those available during the Second World War. This gave Soleil-Rose a concrete way to explore historical food and shopping traditions and consider how people’s choices and access to goods differed in the past. The experience connected an everyday purchase with the wider study of life during wartime.
Social and Communication Skills
During the visit, Soleil-Rose had the opportunity to socialise with others in a community setting. Taking part in a different environment gave Soleil-Rose practice communicating and interacting socially. Exploring the exhibits and shop also provided a shared setting in which to engage with the visit and its historical ideas.
Tips
Tips Extend Soleil-Rose’s visit by choosing one artefact to investigate further: draw it, describe its materials and purpose, and compare it with a modern equivalent. Create a simple “1940s and today” display using household objects, toys, or entertainment, explaining what has changed and what people still use. Explore wartime sweets or shopping through a family-friendly menu or mock shop activity, discussing how historical access to goods could differ. To bring the museum experience into conversation, invite Soleil-Rose to share a favourite object and explain what it revealed about everyday life.
Book Recommendations
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank: A well-known diary offering a young person’s perspective on life during the Second World War and the effects of wartime persecution.
- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr: A historical novel seen through a child’s eyes, introducing how the Second World War changed family life.
- The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston: A classic children’s novel that can prompt discussion about how homes, objects, and everyday life change across generations.
Try This Next
- Artefact detective worksheet: draw one exhibit and record its likely purpose and what it suggests about daily life.
- Past-and-present comparison chart: compare a 1940s radio, television, toy, or household item with a modern equivalent.
- Museum memory writing prompt: “The object that taught me the most about wartime life was…”
- Design a historical shop display featuring sweets, with labels explaining how shopping traditions differed from today.