Treasure Chest, Treasure Chest
What do you hide?
I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity. Eleanor Roosevelt- 1884-1962 American First Lady
Additional images have been used from Pixabay.
'Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning'. William Arthur Ward, American Writer The Early Years Treasure Chest contained objects from Ramsey Rural Museum specifically chosen for children to touch and examine at close quarters. Created as part of the 2019 Talking Together in Cambridgeshire initiative, the objects inside the chest aim to engage children's curiosity in talking and learning about the past. The Treasure Chest was taken into Nursery and Playgroup settings in Huntingdon, Chatteris, March and Wisbech during the Spring and Summer of 2019. The Treasure Chest is recreated here for parents and teachers to share with children. If you would like to visit the museum with a group of children and see a Treasure Chest then please get in touch. Ramsey Rural Museum, Wood Lane, Ramsey PE26 2XD See website for details and opening times www.ramseyruralmuseum.co.uk
Treasure Chest, Treasure Chest What do you hide? Let’s open the lid And look inside.
Which is longer - the spear or the
Brass rubbing was a fashionable Victorian pastime that is still popular today. Visitors to churches wanted to take home a memento of their visit and a brass rubbing was the solution.
A tall, tall knight with a sword, a shield, spurs on his heels and what else can you see? Look at his feet...what is that lion doing?
A washboard
What are the holes for I wonder? A mangle
A Posser for pounding the clothes in a tub to wash them and clean them, then hang them to dry.
A washing dolly
A carpet beater for rugs and carpets. Hang the carpet over a wall, a fence, or on a line and beat out the dirt and grime.
Also called a rug beater, carpet whip, dust beater, carpet duster, wicker slapper, or pillow fluffer.
This one is made of cane but they were also made of wood, rattan, wicker, spring steel or coiled wire,
A shiny, brass iron with a smooth, at surface and a handle on top. An iron needs to be hot to press the creases ....how does this iron get hot?
These early irons were known as sad irons (from the Middle English "sad", meaning "solid").
What does the pattern remind you of?
Where are the bristles?
A crumb tray and brush to sweep up the mess.
Is that a wooden foot? Can you tie a shoe This is called a last and it would be used by the cobbler to make
Cobbler, Cobbler mend my shoe, Get it done by half past two, Stitch it up and stitch it down Then I’ll give you half a crown.
A candle stick and snuer
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.
Still used today, the snuffer helps to avoid problems associated with blowing hot candle wax.
Bobbins wound with thread, round and round and round.... Photo of a lace maker with lace bobbins wound with thread. From the archives at Ramsey Rural Museum
Wind the bobbin up, Wind the bobbin up, Pull, pull, clap,clap,clap Wind it back again, Wind it back again, Pull, pull, clap, clap, clap
Medicine Bottles tall, short, clear, blue and green. With a stopper in the top to keep the potion in.
The Chemist Shop at Ramsey Rural Museum
Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick, sick, sick So she called for the doctor to be quick, quick, quick. The doctor came with his bag and his hat And he knocked on the door with a rat-a-tat-tat.
A hot water bottle to keep your feet cosy and warm. As well as being used in beds these hot water bottles could be carried on long journeys. Coaches and trains were not heated and so a lady could use the hand or foot warming bottle to keep warm by placing it under her skirt.
Tick,Tock Tick Tock, A pocket watch  "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall
Can you count the numbers? What number is the big hand pointing at? What number is the small hand pointing at?
The guard on the train has a pocket watch in his hand.
A very old plate with a story to tell. This is a very old plate. Look closely at the picture.
Could you paint a picture on a paper plate?
What is happening? Who are these people? Where are they? What are they saying to each other?
A pen and ink pot
Can you write like they did in Victorian Times?
In Victorian times, children started to use an ink pen when they were old enough to write in a copybook. The pens like this one had steel nibs, which had to be dipped constantly in an inkwell. Each school desk had a hole for an inkwell at the top right hand side. The inkwell was a small ceramic pot.
A puppet made from wood with strings to make it move.
From 1946-1957, Muffin the Mule was a very popular puppet character in a British television programme for children.
Horsey horsey don't you stop, Just let your feet go clippety-clop, The tail goes swish and the wheels go round, Giddy up, we're homeward bound.
A very old suitcase but what is inside?
I Packed My Suitcase is a memory game useful for all sorts of occasions. The first player thinks of a word beginning with the letter a and then says, for example: I packed my suitcase with an acorn. The next player repeats the sentence and adds something beginning with b, for example: I packed my suitcase with an acorn and a banana ....and so on
During the Second World War when children were evacuated to the country, parents were issued with a list detailing what their children should take with them. These items included a gas mask, a change of underclothes, night clothes, plimsolls (or slippers), spare stockings or socks, toothbrush, comb, towel, soap, face cloth, handkerchiefs and a warm coat.
www.ramseyruralmuseum.co.uk