Old things and new things
History · Early Years · The School
Clues that something is old
How can you tell that something is old? Look for worn edges. Look for faded colour. Look for rust. Look for an old-fashioned shape. Look for stuff we do not use much now. Find two things of the same kind. Two telephones. Two toys. Say which one is older. Then say HOW you can tell. That last bit is the history.
Objects tell stories
A worn-out shoe tells you that someone walked a long way. A chipped cup tells you it was used every day. Things that last from the past are called ARTEFACTS. Historians read them the way that you read a book.
Museums
A museum keeps artefacts safe. People can come and look at them. Things sit behind glass because hands wear them away. Even gentle hands do, if there are thousands of them. Have you been to a museum? Say what you remember. If you have not been, do not worry. Many museums put their things online for free.
Put these in order. Oldest first. A wind-up tin car. A scratched plastic toy. A wooden spinning top. A battery robot. Most people put the scratched plastic toy early. It looks worn out. But plastic toys did not exist before about 1950. The wooden top and the tin car are much older. Looking old is not the same as being old. Ask what a thing is made of. Do not just ask how battered it is.