The Great Fire of Dorchester

 Hello Y2 Families

We have had another fun-packed week in Y2, with the highlight being our trip to the Shire Hall to learn about the Great Fire of Dorchester. The team at the Shire Hall were particularly impressed with the children's knowledge of the Great Fire of London!

We learnt that there had also been a Great Fire in Dorchester in the year 1613, where many of the local houses were burned down. We looked at an old map of Dorchester and matched parts of it to pictures of sections of the map. We also made wooden dolls that children would have played with at the time. The children learnt about how people of the time used candles to light their homes and the potential dangers that they faced. We also went out onto the road to look at the local church and a period property that were built during the time of the fire and survived. The children also visited the prison cells and learnt that the prisoners were tasked with moving the barrels of gunpowder from the Guildhall (as it was known then) to the river to stop any further explosions. In the cells the children took it in turns to pretend to be a barrel being rolled along the ground. It really was a fun and informative session with so much to do and learn!

It was great way to bring the story to life and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were incredibly well behaved.

Have a great weekend everyone

The Year Two Team