Lore and Saga - Living History Education ServicesLore and Saga - Living History Education Services

Specialist in Viking and Roman School Visits for Key Stage Two of the National Curriculum.

Award winning living history services and presentations for classroom education.

Child dressed in Legionary armour on Roman in-school day. - Image copyrighted © Gary Waidson. All rights reserved.

Roman In-School Visits

Building upon the success of our Viking presentations and drawing upon experience working with the  National Trust at Chedworth Roman Villa and Murton Park, one of the countries best known and busiest living history education  providers, we started to run our Roman in-school visits over twenty  years ago.

The presentation begins by establishing a time frame and discussing the evidence.

We focus primarily upon the Roman Army and the conditions for the soldiers serving in it although naturally we touch on other topics as well.

We describe the different types of soldiers and the important roles that the Legions and the Auxiliaries played in building the Roman Empire.

We explore the terms of service and the rewards that made joining the Roman Army such a tempting proposition.

While battle and warfare are an inevitable and unavoidable part of life in the Roman Army, we also discuss the grim reality and consequences of that kind of life.

The children of this generation have been brought up in a world where television is often one of their main sources of information. With many  channels to choose from, on-line  videos, DVDs and game consoles all  competing for attention it is not surprising that they are less likely  to sit down and search for information in a book than the children of  twenty years ago. 

Child dressed as Auxiliary Soldier on a Roman in-school visit by Lore and Saga - Image copyrighted © Gary Waidson. All rights reserved.
A handling and drawing session as part of a Roman in-school activity day. - Image copyrighted © Gary Waidson. All rights reserved.

Living history interpretation is a powerful way to engage the interest of such busy enquiring minds. By  presenting them with not just a picture of a historical figure but a  real person that can talk and interact with them we can break down  barriers to learning and present knowledge in a format that is truly  unforgettable.

Our Roman school visits are  designed to be fitted into your topic at any point, so you can either  use it as a primer to build upon or use it to reinforce your own  lessons.

A half day in school  presentation lasts for about two and a quarter hours, spread over a  morning or afternoon. This timing can usually be fitted around your  school routine.

I will normally arrive at your school about an hour before the session starts and will require parking  for a van and access to a space to set up, this could be a school hall  or a clear space in a classroom big enough for the children, me and a  lot of equipment.

If an activity day has been  booked then tables and chairs will also be needed in the afternoon.  These sessions often work better in a larger space like a school hall or gym although they can sometimes work in two closely situated  classrooms.

Activity days are our most  popular sessions and they include costume for the children and a round-robin session of four Roman related crafts and activities in the  afternoon.

All craft materials are provided and included in the booking price.

If time allows the day can then be rounded off with open questions from the children.

My intention is to use every minute you can give me to give your children one of the best days they will ever have in school.

After two decades of providing  these sessions for schools, some of the pupils I worked with when I  first started, are now booking me to teach the children in their own  classrooms.

I think that speaks louder than words.