Year 4 venture out to mudlark on the shores of the Thames

Last week, our Year 4 adventurers embarked on an exciting mudlarking trip along the River Thames, diving into history and science right on the foreshore.

Equipped with scientific tools, pupils recorded data about the river and even tested its water quality through chemical analysis.

The real thrill came with the mudlarking itself. Working as archaeologists, the children gathered historical artefacts, piecing together clues from the past to deepen their understanding of different time periods. There was much bounty, from shells, clay pipes, smooth glass, flint, tiles and brick, all with historic stories to tell.

The hands-on experience of working with freshly found material as an archaeologist brought history to life, where the discovery of artefacts prompts a fresh engagement with the past.

A huge thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers for helping make this wonderful trip possible.

From the pupils:

" I found it very interesting how much pottery and glass there was on the Thames foreshore."

" I really enjoyed using pH indicator strips to discover the pHs of acids and alkalis. Did you know that Thames water has a pH of 6- this is most similar to tap water!"

"We discovered that the Thames Water is actually much cleaner than we expected!"

"I really enjoyed mudlarking. I found lots of different artifacts with patterns that suggested they were ancient."

"We found little artifacts and classified them. Some of us found Victoria, Tudor and Roman pieces of pottery, as well as some bones."

"Mudlarking was extremely fun. My favourite part was when we were scavenging. I hope we do it again!"

"We found lots of things and found out that the Thames water is actually what we drink."

"I love history and it was cool to go back in time."

"It was really fun. We got to find pieces of pottery from ancient times and I even found a cow shoulder bone."