CHAMBER POTS, fire bellows and tilly lamps bewildered children in Meath primary schools when they were brought in by a group of older people in a new “Helping History Come Alive” project.
The Third Age Foundation in Summerhill, Co Meath has gathered more than 100 items which they are bringing into Meath schools as part of the history curriculum.
“We approached our members and they went up to their attics, said Mary Nally, chairwoman of the foundation.
“They brought us family mementoes, items which tell of a bygone age and no longer in use. We have collected over 100 pieces in the current collection. We set up the exhibition in the classroom and the pupils are welcome to see, touch and ask questions. It has been very successful with the children becoming really engaged.”
Items on show include a phonograph, children’s feeding bottles which open at both ends for easy cleaning, flat irons which were heated on the fire, a child’s gas mask and a carbide bicycle light. “We asked the children what the chamber pot was. One said a mixing bowl, another a bowl for holding fruit,” Ms Nally said.
Members of the Travelling community brought cups, plates and cans crafted in tin by their own parents on the roadside.
