History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Gardens and Outdoor Spaces

Students learn best when they connect abstract ideas to personal experiences. Talking about gardens and outdoor spaces gives them a tangible way to explore changes over time through objects, photos, and family stories they can relate to.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Mystery Object
• 45 min · Whole Class

Class Timeline: Garden Changes

Draw a large timeline on the floor with chalk or paper. Children add drawings or sticky notes showing past uses like vegetable patches and present ones like swings. Discuss and sequence as a group, then photograph for display. End with children sharing one change they notice.

What were gardens mainly used for in homes a long time ago?

Facilitation Tip

During the Class Timeline, have students place images on a large roll of paper so they can physically see the sequence of changes over time.

What to look for

Show students pictures of different garden items or activities (e.g., a rotary washing line, a child on a swing, a vegetable patch, a barbecue). Ask them to sort the pictures into two groups: 'Used a long time ago' and 'Used today'. Discuss their choices.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Mystery Object
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Group Photo Comparison

Provide paired photos of old and modern gardens. Groups list similarities and differences on charts, using prompts like 'What do people do here?'. Share findings in a class gallery walk. Extend by drawing their own garden then and now.

How are gardens today the same as or different from gardens long ago?

Facilitation Tip

For the Small Group Photo Comparison, ask students to hold enlargements side by side to spot details they might miss on a screen.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are talking to your grandparent about their garden when they were your age. What three things would you ask them about what they did in their garden?' Record their questions.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Mystery Object
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs Family Interview

Children prepare 3 questions about grandparents' gardens with sentence starters. Pairs practise interviewing each other first, then call home for real responses. Compile answers into a class book of stories.

Why do you think having an outdoor space is important for families?

Facilitation Tip

Guide the Pairs Family Interview by giving students a simple prompt sheet with three clear questions to keep the conversation focused.

What to look for

Give each student a piece of paper divided into two columns: 'Past Gardens' and 'Today's Gardens'. Ask them to draw one thing that was common in gardens a long time ago and one thing that is common in gardens today.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Mystery Object
• 20 min · Individual

Individual Garden Sketch

Each child sketches a past garden based on class learning, labelling uses like 'grow food'. Then sketch a modern one. Pair up to explain changes, focusing on one key difference each.

What were gardens mainly used for in homes a long time ago?

Facilitation Tip

Encourage students to sketch outdoor spaces from memory first, then add details after discussion to reveal what they already know.

What to look for

Show students pictures of different garden items or activities (e.g., a rotary washing line, a child on a swing, a vegetable patch, a barbecue). Ask them to sort the pictures into two groups: 'Used a long time ago' and 'Used today'. Discuss their choices.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by grounding it in lived experience. Use family stories as primary sources to humanize history, and let students compare their own outdoor spaces to those of the past. Avoid presenting garden changes as a simple before-and-after story. Instead, highlight continuity: children played then and play now, though in different ways. Research shows students retain more when they actively categorize and sequence, so timelines and photo comparisons work better than lectures for this content.

Students will confidently describe how gardens served different purposes in the past compared to today, using evidence from photos, interviews, and timelines. They will explain similarities and differences with clear examples.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Gardens in the past looked exactly like gardens today.

  During Small Group Photo Comparison, watch for students assuming all old photos show flower beds or swings. Redirect them to look for practical items like coal bunkers or washing lines, and ask them to describe what these objects were used for.

• Outdoor spaces were only for work long ago, never play.

  During Pairs Family Interview, watch for students who only ask about chores. Redirect them to include questions about games or toys, and remind them to share examples of play they know about from their own family stories.

• Nothing has changed in how families use gardens.

  During Class Timeline: Garden Changes, watch for students placing events too far apart or too close together. Redirect them to sequence photos and discuss what inventions (like tumble dryers) freed up space for play areas.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Mystery Object