Friday 9th July – Week 5 Day 3 [Day 23]
Last night my family took a vote. I am now officially “sad” and the word “wood” is now banned from use for a 7 day period. After I tried to cheat, another vote was taken and the word “would” has also been banned. 
. This is making for some interesting conversations and is making the kids think a bit more about vocabulary. I think I might ban some other words in the future just to get them to think of synoyms. 
Anyway back to the action……
I have another class from the local primary school today and I concentrate on landscape surveying the roman road with them. Or as me and the schoolkids call it the “uppy-downy game”.
This-is-how-you-play!!!
Yer basic roman road ditch—-agger—ditch agreed?
Right — line up 5 kids abreast as if they were going to cross the road. Tell them to take small steps, shuffles almost, and say out loud what they feel the ground is doing under their feet i.e. up, up, down, down
So for our roman road you should get level,down,down,down,up,up,up,level,up,up,up,up,up,up,up,level, down,down,down,down,down,down,down,level,down,down,down,up,up,up,level.
Simple but effective. 
. Then you get them to look at what they’ve just walked and – hey presto – they can “see” it. Next get them to mark out the ditches with bright yellow bean bags (colour optional 
) , and the same with the top of the agger, and there it is. A section of roman road planned and marked out by 9 year-old total amateurs. And they love the “uppy-downy game”
Give me thirty kids who know the uppy-downy game, a medieval ridge and furrow field, and a pub in close proximity and I guarantee a peaceful afternoon for myself
Anyway that’s enough of Chris’s ABC of Archaeology for Kids back to the w**d, the experts are on site and it is decided that this is a good candidate for dating and a section is cut and sent to Sheffield (I think) for dendrochonology. All we can do now is wait for the result. Decisions on what to do next with “room 1” will be taken overnight and tomorrow. I am back in the action tomorrow while the Living History weekend takes place around us.