Primary School
Part of Every Child Matters Academy TrustChildren and Mining
What will we learn?
We will learn what a mine is and why it is important in our local area. We will learn about the jobs that children did in mines and discuss the law that was passed to stop women and children from working in the mines.
To begin with we looked at what mining is and what job a person does who works down a mine. We looked at lots of photographs of Grimethorpe Colliery and discussed why mining was so important in Grimethorpe in the past. Our task was to research Grimethorpe Colliery and show our understanding by answering questions.
Some of us had/have family members who worked at Grimethorpe Colliery.
The children were asked the question 'What was coal used for in the past and what is it used for in the present?'. The children found out that coal was used to heat people's homes and for cooking. They also learnt how it was used to power trains and machinery. They compared this with how we cook and heat our homes today. The children were asked to show me what they had found out using pictures and writing.
We discussed the different jobs that children did down the mines and how dangerous they were. They researched four of the jobs the children did and described what they had found out in their own words.
We had a fantastic day visiting the Yorkshire Mining Museum. We got to experience what it must have been like for children working down the mines in the past.
Ladywood Miners
We have learnt a lot about the different jobs that children did in the mines. Today, the children got to experience what it would have been like for them if they lived during this time and had to go to work down the mine.
