How Have Our Houses Changed?
Go For A Walk!
Next time you're out with your elders, see how many different styles of house you can recognise. Why do you think the people who live in these houses chose to live there? Some terraced houses often have dates set in the brick above the front door. See if you can read these dates and try to figure out how old these houses actually are. If you believe that they are quite old, how do you think they might have changed between the past and the present? Remember the differences between your childhood and that of your elders.
Draw A Picture
Choose an older house that you particularly like and draw a picture of it. Note the doors, shape of the windows, whether there is a chimney or anything that might be different. Then find somewhere that is modern, somewhere newly built, and draw a picture of that, too, noting the same things. When you've done this, put the pictures side by side and note the differences.
If you live in a small country village, then you might even get to see a thatched roof, a roof which is made of straw. How do you think they are made, and how on earth do they keep the rain out? When do you think thatched roofs were first used? If you know of someone with a thatched roof, why not ask them these questions? If not, ask your parents if you can look for it on the Internet, or get a book from the library.
Museums
Museums often have old items on display that have been saved from old houses. If you can manage a trip to a museum to look at some of these things, take a list with you and include the following questions:
- When does the item date back to?
- What is it made of? Is it heavy or light?
- How was it used, or what was it used for?
- Is it still in use today? If it isn't, what has replaced it? If it is in use, how has it changed?
Change a Part of One of Your Rooms
Ask your parents to help you change a corner of one of the rooms in your house. You can do this by using the lists and information that you already have. If you haven't the obstacles to change it, then use your imagination! Ask your parents to sit with you while you explain what has changed.
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