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WHAT'S INVOLVED:

Our aim at Kids Roman Army is to get children thinking about, and enjoying, history. We do this through a combination of living history, interactive performance, and outdoor physical activity. Studies have shown that when children get active, they perform better in school.

 

This combination of learning with a focus on being outdoors and active is at the heart of what we do. 

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A day with Kids Roman Army consists of three sessions.

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SESSION I - THE CITY OF ROME 

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Our day starts in the city of Rome itself, at the height of its power in the year 117AD. During this time, the city held over 1 million inhabitants, and the Roman Empire ruled over 45 million people. In order to understand who the Romans were, the class will spend a day in the city. They will learn about daily life for the rich and poor, the kinds of places people lived, what they ate, and what they did for fun.

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The first session will end with a trip to the infamous Gladiator games. We will need brave volunteers to play the roles of criminals, beasts and beast hunters, and gladiators. Entertainment is guaranteed, survival is not!

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​SESSION II - LIFE ON THE MARCH

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Our second session rewinds the clock, and takes us to a Roman Army camp in Northern France in the year 43AD. We have seen what Rome was like at the height of its power, but to understand how it got there, we need to know about the Roman Army. In this session, the class will learn why the Roman Army was the most effective fighting force in the ancient world, and compare it to the cultures they most often butted heads with. They will be able to get hands on with a wide range of authentic military kit, and learn about what Roman soldiers got up to when they weren't fighting battles. After all, Legionaries were much more than just soldiers!

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Army jobs, medicine, punishments and pay are all topics we will cover in this session.

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​SESSION III - THE INVASION OF BRITANNIA

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The final session of the day sees each member of the class issued with a shield, and put under the command of Centurion Quintus Junius Macro. The children will learn to respond quickly when called to arms, and will practice a variety of authentic military drills, giving them a direct understanding of what made the Romans so effective in battle. 

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This final session of the day will include the famous Testudo formation. Can the class withstand a ferocious barrage of missiles? It will culminate with a battle against the hairy, smelly barbarians, which is a funny way of saying "teachers"!

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