Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Trust

Toys and Games

For: Reception and KS1

Timing 1½ to 2 hours These notes are intended as a guide for teachers who have been to the INSET session on Toys and Games and are running the session independently. They are also for the information of those who are attending a session led by one of our staff.

Essential Information Your class should be split into four groups before the session.

You will need at least 4 adult helpers for this session, not including yourself if you are

leading the session or 4 adults including yourself if led by Tullie House staff.

All adults must be briefed on the session and given a copy of the notes, as they will be

guiding the children during the activities. You can organise your adults in two ways;

1) Have an adult assigned to a group or

2) Have each adult assigned to a table/activity. This is good if you have adults who are

not confident, as during their first group you can offer advice and their confidence

will grow during each rotation of the class.

When You Arrive Go to Reception with your confirmation letter, Health and Safety forms and checklist, which you

will have received in advance. Coats can be put in the bin supplied or hung up outside the

Activities Room. A member of Learning and Access will take you to the Activities Room where

you will find the session set out for you.

Suggested Structure of Session 1. When the children go into the room sit them on the floor around the original toys. Show

each of the toys and discuss with the children what they are, how they work and what they

are made from.

2. Explain to the children that toys have been played with for 1000s of years. Today they will

be able to play with the types of toys children played with long ago. Introduce them to the

4 tables.

3. Move on to the four tables:

Activity 1 – Outdoor Toys. Let the children have a go at playing with the toys.

Ask the children some of the questions from the notes.

Activity 2 – Moving Toys. Explore and play with moving toys. Discuss how

they work: what kind of force is being used – push or pull? Emphasise that by

movement we mean how things move not just getting from A to B. Ask the

children some of the questions from the notes.

Activity 3 – Old playtime. Discuss with the children how people entertained

themselves before TV. Encourage the children to dress up in the clothes

provided, which illustrate stories from the past. Ask them how they would

pretend to be that character. What actions would they make and what might

they say? Also let children have a go with the theatre. Can they make up a

story using the puppets?

Activity 4 – Make a toy. Can you see an object that is out of sight? On the

table you will find instructions, card, string, glue sticks, scissors and a hole punch

to help you make a thaumatrope, a popular Victorian toy. For younger children,

there are also materials to make a simple puppet. You will find large straws,

coloured creature shapes and things to decorate them with. You can then take

these back to school.

Notes Rotation round the four activities should take at least an hour.

It is suggested that the children have a break midway through the session between

activities 2 and 3.

Because this is a very interactive session we understand toys will get broken.

Therefore we cannot guarantee that all toys referred to in the notes will be there at

all times.

Outdoor Toys

On the table you will find some examples of outdoor toys that Victorian children

would have played with. Let the children have a go at playing with all the toys on

the table. For larger toys you can use the corridor outside the Activities Room.

Ask the children the following questions:

What are the toys made out of?

How do you make this toy work?

Would you prefer these old toys to the toys you have today? Why or why

not?

Which toy do you think is the easiest to work? Which is the hardest? Why

do you think this is?

Which toy is your favourite? Why?

Replica Toys – Outdoor toys

Spinning Top This is a 2-piece spinning top with a handle. To make it spin first put the top though the small holes in the handle, then thread the string through the larger holes and wind it around the top. Then pull the string at the same time as lifting the handle off the top.

Whipping top This is set spinning and then whipped to keep it going. At least, that's the theory!

Diabolo This game works by spinning the diabolo between two sticks. You keep it moving by lifting and lowering one handle rapidly. Very hard!

Hoop and Stick A very popular game requiring lots of skill and practice for children of all ages and backgrounds. It was made by a blacksmith and the idea was to keep the hoop rolling by pushing with the stick and running after it. This was difficult, especially when we consider that roads weren't coated with tarmac! Children in Africa still use a bicycle wheel and a stick today.

Skipping Rope Children have skipped and invented skipping rhymes for centuries. The older ropes have handles made from loom spindles.

Cup and Ball Catch the ball in the cup. This toy originates in Medieval times and was called a Bilbo Catcher.

Yo-Yo Everyone knows how to yo-yo – all it takes is a little practice! In the last century they were often known as a bandalore, and originally were used as a lethal weapon by Aboriginal people in Australia.

Moving Toys

On the table you will find some examples of moving toys that Victorian children

would have played with. Let the children have a go at playing with all the toys on

the table. Ask the children the following questions:

How can we make this toy move?

Why is this toy moving like this?

Do you have to push or pull this toy?

Do you have to twist or spin this toy?

Why does the toy move when you wind it up?

On which surface does the car go faster or slower? Why do you think

this is?

On which surface does the car go further? Why do you think this is?

What is this toy made of?

Do you have a toy like this? Does anyone in your family have a toy like

this?

Which is your favourite toy on the table? Why have you chosen this one?

Replica Toys – Moving toys

Bobbing Clowns Wind the handle and watch the clowns bob up and down.

Pecking chickens Swirling the ball beneath the chickens makes them peck noisily.

Tumbling Sailor Place him on the top rung of the ladder and he will somersault to the bottom.

Archie Acrobat Squeeze the bottom of the sticks together and he will perform somersaults! A popular Victorian toy.

Clockwork Toys (to be wound up by adults only, please) These are made from tin, and show how objects can be made to move without batteries and electricity.

Zoetrope Toys that deceived the eye were very popular in Victorian times. The zoetrope was introduced c.1860. These toys led the way to true moving pictures on film. If you spin the top part and look through one of the slits, the image on the paper strip appears to move.

Spinning top This is a modern version of the one on the table of original toys. They were very popular in the 1960s. Push down the handle to make the top spin. Please do this very carefully.

Bagatelle (pinball) original, 1950s, to be handled with care! Pull the handle back gently, and let go. The marble will roll around the board and hopefully score points!

Toys cars and slope Wheels travel at different speeds down different surfaces. This slope gives you the chance to see which surface makes the cars go faster and which slower. Have a go at racing the toy cars.

Push along toy This is a wooden hand held push along toy. The mechanism allows the wheel to rotate and, in turn, move the legs of the figure. It then looks as if he is doing the pedalling!

Pull along toy This toy works in a similar way to the one above but this time to pull along rather than push. This wheel rotates which, in turn, moves the figures arms allowing it to play the musical instrument.

Old Playtime

On the table you will find a puppet theatre and clothes for the children to dress

up in. The idea is to encourage the children to think about how people

entertained themselves before TV, computers or electronic games.

Point out to the children that homes did not have electricity in Victorian times so

none of these would have worked. Discuss with them how people entertained

themselves before TV. Explain to the children that people had to make their own

entertainment. They sang songs round the piano, played parlour games and

guessing games and, if they could afford it, visited the theatre.

Encourage the children to dress up in the clothes provided. Ask them:

What character they are pretending to be?

What actions would they make and what might they say?

Ask them to come up with one action that best sums up the character.

Let the children play with the theatre. Ask them:

What characters they can see in the theatre?

If they can make up a story using the puppets

Replica Toys – Old Playtime toys

String Puppet Puppet shows which were put on for family and friends were extremely popular - the only limit was your imagination!

Glove puppet Simpler to use than a string puppet. It's easy to make your own using an old sock or mitten!

3-way doll – Peter and the Wolf Can the children find Peter, the wolf and the woodcutter

3-way doll – Little Red Riding Hood Red Riding Hood one way up, but reverse the costume and she becomes the Grandma. See if you can find the wolf?

Masks These are modern wooden versions. Masks made of card have been popular with children from at least the 1900s.

Puppet theatre This is modern wooden version. Model theatres have been popular from Victorian times and children have always enjoyed putting on their own plays.

Tabards Use this selection of tabards to act out these different insects. What kind of actions or noises would they make?

Astronaut helmet How does an astronaut move when he is walking on the moon? Because gravity is so much lower his legs will move much more slowly and if he jumps up he will come down much more slowly than on earth. It feels as if you are light as feather. Can you walk like as astronaut?

Crown How does a king or queen move? How do you feel wearing the crown? Can you move and wave like a king or queen? Have a go.

Making a Toy

On this table you will find different components to make and

decorate your own puppet.

The children can choose between a bird and a fish and can

decorate with crayons, sequins and wiggly eyes.

You may have to help them tape the straw onto their creature.

Original Toys –

Wax headed doll with short hair (not to be handled by the children) She has obviously been well loved but not looked after carefully. She's in a state and the wax can't be cleaned, which is why it is important to wear the gloves provided when handling her. One of her legs has fallen off. [1870] Wax headed doll with half head (not to be handled by the children) Show the children how the eyes work, but please do not allow them to do it themselves. The hair was stuck to a papier-mâché cap, which has fallen off. Her under garments are copies of real clothes and include a woolly petticoat to keep her warm in the winter. These dolls were expensive toys for rich children, who probably played with them under the supervision of a nursery maid. How do these toys compare to modern dolls? Which are more practical? Do they have posable limbs, like modern day dolls? Are they hard or soft? Action Man counts as a doll, too!! [1850] Potato Gun (may be handled) This is a home made toy, used to fire a small piece of potato! It was made for a young boy by his grandfather in 1905. Because it was a home made toy it didn't cost very much - do any of the children have home-made toys of their own? Noah's Ark Animals (not to be handled by the children) These animals are from a German Noah's Ark set containing over 200 pieces. Other pieces of the Ark can be seen in the Childhood Gallery. In the reign of Queen Victoria (later in some areas), children were not supposed to play with toys on a Sunday, but the Ark was acceptable because of its Biblical connection. Many Arks have survived in good condition as they were only played with once a week. [approx 1850] Building Blocks (may be handled by the children) These were made in Vienna and Rotterdam. They are made of cast cement and came in many shapes. Only wealthy children had bricks like these - ordinary families had wooden bricks. [1880]

Black and White Dominoes (may be handled by the children) These have a wooden back, perhaps ebony, and a bone front, with hand painted dots and a brass pin. [1930s]

Coloured dominoes in a box (may be handled by the children) These are in the original box. Children who couldn't count yet could play by matching the colours instead of the numbers. Compare the two sets by looking at the materials - which do the children think are the oldest and why? [1970s]

Wooden Skittles (may be handled by the children) A hugely popular game - most children have either played this or been bowling. Do the children think this was an expensive toy or not? [1950s]

Wooden Solitaire Board (not to be handled by the children) The object of the game is to remove marbles by jumping one over another. The marble that has been jumped over is removed from the board. The game is won when there is only one marble left on the board, preferably in the central hole. [1940s] Fire Engine (may be handled by the children) This was made by Fisher Price. When it is pulled along the fireman's head moves and the bell rings. How old do the children think this toy is compared with others? [1970s]

Teddy Bear (may be handled by the children) A modern teddy - made in America. [1970s]

Metal Ring Puzzle (may be handled by the children) This has a series of 9 rings on a rod. The object of the game is to free them from the rod.

Beast-Man (may be handled by the children) This figure is from the cartoon series He-Man. He is the henchman of Skeletor, the baddie! Do the children have any toys based on characters from films/TV i.e. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter? These things can help to date the toys - do they think it's older than the wax dolls, for instance? Why didn't Victorian children have cartoon characters to play with? [1980s]

Merman (may be handled by the children) This figure is from the cartoon series He-Man. He is called Merman and is a baddie. Both of these figures were made by the toy maker, Mattel. [1980s]

Tin sliding puzzle (may be handled by the children) Many children will be familiar with this kind of puzzle. This one is a piece of early merchandising for Esso. Compare the metal to the materials used to make modern versions. [1940s]

Modern plastic sliding puzzle (may be handled by the children) This one was made as a promotional item. [2000]

Spinning Top (not to be handled by the children) A colourful metal toy. The handle is pushed down to make the top spin and sing. Please do not do this as the spinning top is very worn. [1960s]

Die-cast metal van This is a die-cast metal Bedford Evening News van. These types of cars/vans were known as Matchbox toys because of their size [1960s]

Check list for Toys and Games session

Action Done

Class split into 4 before visit

4 adults – each to lead one of the groups (each needs to have read all activity notes)

OR

4 adults – each to lead one of the activities (each need to have read only the notes for their activity)

List of children attending – to keep with you

Confirmation of booking letter

Completed Health and Safety declaration

Signed:…………………………………………………………………….. School:…………………………………………………………………….. Date:………………………………………………………………………..

Please bring this list with you on the day. Thank you, we hope you enjoy your Toys and Games

session.