Then and Now: The Past in Your Class

Foundation to Level 2
Cost: From $14 per Student
For Enquires

Email [email protected] or phone: (03) 9656 9889

Make history happen in your own classroom and find out what school was like for Melbourne students during the 1870s.

Students will welcome a costumed teacher to their classroom, all the way from 1870s Melbourne! Could it be Mrs. Sargood, the stern matriarch of Rippon Lea Estate, or Mrs. Ferguson the austere governess?

Facilitators can visit your school and deliver up to 3 sessions per day in metropolitan Melbourne and suburbs depending on travel time.

If you cannot visit Rippon Lea this is an ideal option. If you can then this is a great post Rippon Lea excursion activity.

About the Program

Get ready to travel back in time, with a teacher from the 1800s stepping into your classroom and teaching you how children learnt at school in the past.

Join Mrs. Sargood, the matriarch of Rippon Lea Estate, or Mrs. Ferguson the Sargood children’s strict Governess, as they introduce students to the life of children in the past.

During the incursion, students will compare and contrast their school and home lives to those of the Sargood children of Rippon Lea Estate through question and answer as well as two historical activities.

Curriculum Links

SubjectStrandSub-StrandContent DescriptionsStudents will...
HistoryHistorical knowledge and understandingPersonal historiesdifferences in family structures and roles and how these have changed or remained the same over time
VC2HH2K02
Uncover the societal pressures faced by families in the past, and how the life of the Sargood family differs from families today.
differences and similarities between students’ daily lives and how these have changed or remained the same over time
VC2HH2K03
Discover what life was like for some children in the past; the games they played and the social pressures faced, and realise some similarities as well as some differences.
Community historiesthe history of a local historical site of social, cultural or spiritual significance and how it has changed over time
VC2HH2K05
Learn about the social significance of Rippon Lea and how it has changed since the 1800s.
Historical Concepts and SkillsContinuity and Changeidentify examples of continuity and change by comparing the past and present
VC2HH2S06
Compare lives in the 1800s to lives in the present day.
Personal and Social CapabilitySocial Awareness and ManagementCollaborationsimple skills required for collaboration with peers
VC2CPFO03
Work together to solve a mystery during the Creature Catcher activity.
broader skills required for collaboration with peers and ways to monitor contributions to group tasks
VC2CP2O04
Work together to solve a mystery during the Creature Catcher activity.

Program Details

Available

Monday – Friday during school terms.

Duration

45 minutes

Numbers

30 Students per Session.

Resources

Teachers will receive a detailed resource pack that includes suggested pre- and post-visit activities upon booking.

Cost

$14 per student + plus a flat fee to cover travel costs, calculated based on school location.

Click here to access the Task Risk Assessment.

Please advise our bookings team if your students require wheelchair-friendly access; some accommodations can be made. The mansion has a set of stairs which is not accessible.

Bookings & Enquiries

To book, complete the Online Booking Form. For enquiries, email [email protected] or phone (03) 9656 9889.

Related Programs

  • Image

    3D Interactive Court Room

    Try visiting the interactive Court Room to get an idea of how a court works.

    Continue reading
  • Image

    Crime and Punishment

    Uncover past punishments in this tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol. Discuss corporal punishments such as the cane and the infamous cat-o-nine-tails; solitary confinement, and capital punishment.

    Continue reading
  • Image

    Crime and Punishment

    Join your guide for a tour of the notorious H Division to learn about the “prison within a prison” which housed the most dangerous inmates at Pentridge from the 1950s through to the 1980s.

    Continue reading