School Visits, Fun Days and other Events

Following on from his excavations at Stenhouse, Derek Hall was asked to the local primary school (Carron PS) to talk about the pottery kilns and to show some of the pottery made there. The sophistication of some of the questions regarding metal detecting and the law was perhaps a little surprising, but indicates the level of interest these young people have in archaeology and the past.

Craigie Primary School, Perth, requested a lesson for P4 on the subject of medieval archaeology in March. Catherine Smith took along various animal bones, pottery fragments, reconstructed jugs and other pieces which the pupils were allowed to handle and describe on ‘Finds Sheets’. Other puzzles and activities were designed by Sapphire Sherwood, who also provided the taxi service for the numerous boxes of handling material.

Perth Museum and Art Gallery was the venue for a Spooky Fun Day on 27th October. Sapphire prepared puzzles and stencils on a Celtic theme, to tie in with the seasonal festival of Samhain, and also manned the extremely busy Celtic face-painting table, helped by Paul MacMillan. Catherine supervised the ‘Lotions and Potions’ table, where, among other things, children were allowed to mix herbal ointments with which to anoint a ‘patient’ (in reality part of a shop-window dummy of some vintage, painted with very realistic bruises). This was a very busy day, and although the floor seemed to have become part of an environmental deposit by closing time, all concerned seemed to have had fun, which is after all what had been advertised. Perhaps some visitors had even taken away some small fragments of historical information.

During Perthshire Archaeology Month, Derek once again led guided walks around Perth, in search of medieval streetscapes and archaeology, undaunted by the rather dismal early summer weather we endured this year.

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