Boxes of Treasures for Kent Schools

School children in Kent will be able to enjoy “hands-on” lessons in history and archaeology in their classrooms with the CAT BOX loans service now available from Canterbury Archaeological Trust.

Three hundred boxes of original artefacts, replicas, models, and ephemera ranging from prehistoric tools to WWII gas masks and ration books, will be available on loan to all KCC, Medway Council, and independent infant, junior, and secondary schools – nearly 800 in total.

Funded jointly by the Kent Archaeological Society and the Friends of Canterbury Archaeological Trust, the service is a response to the growing interest in archaeology among young people and will make practical use of thousands of items that have been inherited by the CAT.

The items will be valuable teaching aids across the school curriculum in history, art, technology, and English lessons and in after-school activities.

Said Marion Green, CAT education officer and KAS Education Committee Hon. Secretary:
“The collection is very varied and includes finds from archaeological digs, Anglo-Saxon and Viking helmets; toys from the early 20th century; and really interesting ephemera from the World Wars. Among the models are Viking and medieval ships, a Norman castle, a medieval house, a Roman dining room, WW2 aeroplanes, and the Columbia space shuttle.”

The boxes range in size from small to large and can be collected from the Canterbury Archaeological Trust’s Kingsmead store in Canterbury.

For more information phone 01227 462062 or email: mariongreen@canterburytrust.co.uk.

See a full catalogue and photographs of selected items on www.canterburytrust.co.uk/schools/catboxpg.htm.

[fg]jpg|Marion Green of Canterbury Archaeological Trust (left) and Christine Maxwell of Allington County Primary School, inspect a CAT-BOX.|Image[/fg]