Week Four

Issue of gas masks to British civilians, 1940

For our fourth week’s activity, its another creative one with a bit of science/technology thrown in. This can be as creative as you like, on as big a scale as you like or as close to the brief as you like. The task is the fun part, the follow up questions will test the deeper learning.

This week’s task is to create your own air raid shelter at home. This can be interpreted as a large- scale den kind of shelter or perhaps a craft based on a smaller scale made out of art materials or household objects. The beauty of this task also is that it can be researched either before or after and have a similar learning outcome.

If air raid shelters are researched prior to making their own, try to get the children to think about:

  • The different types of shelters/what scenario they would be used in e.g. an Anderson was for a garden and a Morrison was for indoors
  • The types of materials used
  • Why these were the preferred materials
  • The shape and why this may have been significant
  • The pros and cons of the shelters
  • How they could be improved (in the children’s opinion) maybe they could translate these improvements into their creations.

If shelters are researched after the children have made their version some things you could do with the research could be:

  • Compare and contrast their shelter to the shelters they have researched
  • Suggest improvements for their shelters or suggestions for the pre-existing shelters
  • Look at the materials used and get them to evaluate whether they will be fit for purpose, can ask for ideas for different materials if they do not think they are adequate.

And for some general follow up questions you could ask:

  • How would you feel having to hide out in a shelter during the black out and the Blitz?
  • Is there anything about it you would like?
  • Anything about it you would not like?
  • What instructions would you give to someone who wanted to build a shelter? (this could be made into a follow up English themed task, where they could write out a list of materials and method for someone to follow to build a super safe shelter from what they have discovered.

I have included some inspiration, and as always, we would love to hear from you/see how you get on! We really hope you enjoy!

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Good luck,

From the Education Team @ The Firing Line Museum 😊

p.s. any education specific questions or help please feel free to email us on education@cardiffcastlemuseum.org.uk