Castle building by Y7

Year 7 have been learning all about the Normans in History. We have studied the Norman invasion, considered what really happened to King Harold and learned about how William the Conqueror took control of his new kingdom. We found out that building castles was a key to his success, in particular Motte and Bailey castles. These castles were quick to build and easy to defend, so were an effective way to keep power. We challenged ourselves to build model castles to see whether it was as easy as it looked. Using recycled materials, we tried to incorporate features such as drawbridges, towers, stockades and moats. Some of us even managed to build villages complete with flocks of sheep to keep the knights supplied with food and clothing. It was a lot of fun, and used our problem solving and teamwork skills to the maximum.