Aim:
To make children aware of the range of leisure activities enjoyed during Tudor times.

Objective:
To give children an insight into specific Tudor pastimes and give them opportunities to try similar pastimes.

Resources:
Replica Tudor toys and leisure equipment - e.g. streamers, toy jester, masks, dice, hobby horse, etc.

Method:
Ask the children what kind of activities they enjoy in their spare time and identify any equipment needed to take part in the activities. Extend discussion to include a range of adult leisure activities from the present day.

Stress that many modern-day leisure activities are very different to those enjoyed in Tudor times - ask the children why this is so. (Ongoing inventions and advances in technology constantly change the shape of people's lives.)

Describe and show children a selection of replica toys from Tudor times. Ask children how they think they were used and allow children to experiment with them, with guidance if necessary.

(Toys may include Leneten Rattle, Hobby Horse, Streamers, Egg Mill, Stump Doll, Five Stones, Bilbo Catcher.)

Describe and show children a selection of pastimes and some activities which Tudor adults engaged in during their leisure time using pictures, objects and demonstrations. (Examples may include Tudor dance, Tudor music, Theatre, Mummers Plays and the Arts, Masquerades, Embroidery, Letter Writing, Language learning and Sports.) Allow children to take part in one or more activity in a similar way to Tudor traditions, giving guidance where necessary.

Stress that rich people rather than poor people had more time to enjoy leisure activities - less well-off people had much of their time taken up by simply earning a living.  

Compare again the nature of pastimes pursued in Tudor times and in modern times and reiterate with the children the reasons for the many differences identified.