Boxes of loan materials for schools have been produced which focus on the Roman period but which also offer opportunities for work related to other areas of the curriculum, especially:

The contents of the boxes include over 100 Roman potsherds divided into bags for examination by groups of 3-4 children and replica Roman objects. A full set of Teacher's Notes with suggested activities is also included. Activities suggested represent the kinds of tasks archaeologists themselves will undertake in the analysis of collected material: in particular they require the children to identify characteristics and place the sherds into various types of category. Specific tasks include identifying different functional areas within a house from the various artefacts discovered within each room. Other activities centre upon replica objects: one that proves particularly successful is a version of the panel game 'Call My Bluff' in which the children devise three alternative uses for an object (one being the true one) and attempt to persuade their classmates to choose an incorrect description.

To apply for the school boxes contact arch-cau-past@lists.cam.ac.uk or telephone the Cambridge Archaeological Unit on 01223-327802.