Great Fire of London 21.1.19
On Monday 21st January we were happy to welcome Annie to Springbank to help us answer our topic question 'Who started the Great Fire of London?'.
Annie began by talking to all the children about the Great Fire and about life in 1666. Some of the children were asked to become houses and see if the fire (red sheet) would spread depending on how close the houses were and how hard the wind blew.
The children made a Tudor style house by covering a cereal box in paper. They then added the roof and wooden beams using pens and crayons to recreate the Tudor style. They looked fantastic when all stood together. Some children used a large box and created St Paul's Cathedral.
After lunch, we all went outside where Annie had set up our houses to form a typical London street in 1666. The road in the middle was very narrow and the houses were packed tightly together. After a safety briefing, Annie started the fire using a flint and steel and we watched as the fire began to grow. The children were able to act either as the wind: trying to make the fire bigger by wafting it or as a firefighter: trying to put the fire out with small cups of water. The children were amazed by the fire and were talking about the smells and the sounds it produced. Eventually, once all the houses had burned down, the fire went out and the children were able to see only the ashes on the grass.
What a wonderful experience for all the children and a great way to help us with our Great Fire of London topic. There are lots of photographs below for you to look at. Enjoy!
The Great Fire of London
