110 Excited girls, 22 teachers, 3 buses, iPads galore, lunches packed...and we were off! Ulster Folk and Transport Museum didn’t know what was about to hit them! After scrambling excitedly off the bus we formed groups and, iPads in hand, set off to explore life in a small country town over 100 years ago. We visited an old National school which was one room in which 100 pupils would have been taught. They used chalk boards and ink wells and would have been caned for bad behaviour or as punishment. In the printers we saw printing presses which were used in the early 1900’s. The Post Office was also a stationer’s shop which sold items such as ink, pens, books, educational material and newspapers. One of our favourites was the Old Rectory where we met a cook, dressed in costume from long ago. She was baking potato bread over the fire which we all got to sample. It was really delicious. In the weaver’s house we watched a lady weave linen on a loom. It looked very complicated. Most of the houses were small and made from clay and mud with thatched roofs. Heating would have been a fire.
At lunch time we had time to chat to other girls in our group. The groups were mixed so that we weren’t with our class friends. This was a really good idea and it gave us a chance to get to know each other.
