A basic guide to help you develop an object handling and interpretation workshop targeted at primary school groups within the pr4-7 range, with an optional theme of domestic and working life within 19th century rural Scotland.

1. Object Handling & Interpretation Dev. Kit.
Theme: Working and domestic life in 19th century
rural Scotland.
Target Group: Primary School Pr4-7
Robin Patel, Heritage Freelancer

2. What was life like in
the 19th century?

3. Let’s imagine a world without…..
Electric Light
Cars and buses
Dishwashers
Central Heating
Washing Machines
Refrigerators
TV
InternetTelephones

4. The Kitchen

5. How does your kitchen look different?

6. Activity 1: Food Preparation & Serving
What objects did people use to prepare and serve food?

7. Activity 1: Food Preparation & Serving
1. What’s the object called (check the
label)
2. What would you be doing if you were
using this object?
3. How is the object used?
4. Could it have more than one use?
5. How easy / difficult would it have been
to use it, and why?
6. What materials are used in the object?
7. Why is it made of these materials?
8. Are there any patterns or marks on the
object?
9. Have you ever seen anything like it
before?

8. Life at Home : Household Chores
• Before we had electric washing machines, dishwashers and vacuum
cleaners, people had to use human-powered equipment to keep things
clean.
• Children would be expected to help carry out these chores, like
cleaning the dishes and washing clothes.
• There would have been no access to a hot water tap, so water had to
be gathered from a well, or the loch and then boiled over the fireplace
in the kitchen.
• There wasn't any washing up liquid, so solid soap had to be grated by
hand.
• The 19th century created an increase in the availability of clothes that
could be bought in shops, especially in larger towns. People often had
to make their own clothes and ‘make do and mend’ if clothes became
damaged – they couldn't be easily replaced.

9. Which items do you think are from
the 19th century or the 20th century?

10. Activity 2: Household Chores

11. Activity 2: Household Chores
1. What do you think the item would have been
used for?
2. What’s the difference between this object and
its modern-day equivalent?
3. How heavy is the object? Would it have required
a lot of energy to use?
4. Does the object need something else to make it
work?
5. Is there more than one type of material used in
the object?
6. What size is it? How do you think this will affect
its function?
7. If you had it use this item, how would you feel?
8. Who do you think would have used these
objects?
9. Briefly look at the other team’s objects. Can you
group similar items together under headings?

12. Life at Home : Comfort & Wellbeing
• We often take for granted things that make us
comfortable in our own homes. In the past we didn’t
have double-glazing, electric heaters or electric light.
• We relied on different types of fuel to keep us warm
and so we could see at night. Can you think of the
different types of fuel we may have used?
• What would you do today if there was a power cut?
How would you see, cook and keep warm?

13. Activity 3: Comfort & Wellbeing

14. Activity 3: Comfort & Wellbeing
Let’s swop these items amongst ourselves
1. Which item is involved in the manufacturing
of another well known item? Can you guess
what it makes?
2. What types of “fuel” do these objects use?
3. Where would you source the fuel from?
4. Can you guess how this item works? How
do you “turn it on”?
5. Are there any unique markings on any of
the items?
6. What would you be doing if you were using
this object?
7. Does it smell of anything?

15. Activity 4: Lighting
Let’s look at the items related to lighting
1. If you had a powercut in your home, would you prefer to a
Cruisie Lamp, Candle or a Rush Light? Why?
2. Sort the Cruisie Lamp, Candle and Rush Light from most
expensive to cheapest.
3. Both the Cruisie Lamp and the Rush Light Holder use rushes
for wicks. What is ‘rush’?

16. Activity 5: The Maritime Industry?
Have a look at the objects that are presented to you.
Let’s go through this together
Caulking Mallet & Iron
 A Caulking Mallet was used to help waterproof ships. It would hammer oakum (a material
made of rope fibres) between the planks of the ship. When finished, a layer of putty would
be smoothed over it.
 Write down the CODE of the item you think is the Caulking Mallet.
 Does the mallet need anything else to make it work?
 What do you think it would be like to use this tool?
Fids :
 A Fid was used to open the strands of rope and sailcloth to allow them to be spliced and
joined. Fids of different sizes were one of the tools of sail makers, who had to fit ropes to
the finished sail.
 Write down the CODE of the item you think is the Fid
 What do you think the old sails were made of? What do you think they are made of today?
Net Mending Needle
 Used in net mending and making. It has an “inner” tongue. The tongue holds thin line or
thread so it is easy to pull through and wind.
 Write down the CODE of the item you think is the Net Mending Needle

17. The Blacksmith?
Many villages had a Blacksmith (or “smiddy”)
before large scale manufacturing was introduced.
The smiddy would often be the place to go if you
needed something made of iron to be
manufactured, e.g. horse shoes, iron tyres, barrel
hoops and tools.

21. Activity 6: Cobbler’s Last
A Cobbler’s Last was a typical item made by a Blacksmith.
Group discussion
1. How do you use it?
2. What material is made from?
3. How do you think the material is made?
4. Is it heavy? Why?
5. Do you see a use for it today?

22. Life at School!
Can anyone tell what’s pictured here?

23. Activity 7: Life at School
Don’t forget to swop the items and discuss things!
The Slate Board
• What would you have used against this to write?
• How often do you think you could use it?
• How would it compare to an pen and inkwell?
The Belt (Tawse)
• The classroom was very strict and you weren’t allowed to talk.
• This would have been used to discipline children
• Look at the item carefully can you see anything unusual? Once you
spot it tell me!

24. Activity 8: Cataloguing Objects
 Out of all the objects you have seen it would be great if you
could select one of them that interests you and complete
the following:
I have selected the…
A brief description of the object….
This object interests me because…
 If you like to draw /sketch it would be great if you selected
an object and made your own representation of it…….
 Be as creative as you can!