Policy & Practice: Policy into practice - Knowing our past helps usto shape the future

So why is it that children are rarely encouraged to engage with thesubject in its own right? It's more usual that heritage learning takesplace under the rubric of other subjects such as culture, history, theenvironment, food technology, art and architecture. Heritage needs to beclearly labelled, otherwise it becomes just another history or artlesson. When children learn about heritage they need to understandthey're learning about themselves and their future.

It comes as no surprise then to find that some of the best examples ofheritage learning can be found in community contexts. One such projectis being run in Cornwall by St Newlyn East Primary School with theNational Trust property, Trerice. Tasting The Tudors, has been designedas an experimental, productive garden created and maintained by thechildren within an Elizabethan manor house. Taking inspiration from a1594 gardening manual, the children have constructed flower andvegetable beds true to Tudor designs, collected and sowed seeds, plantednative bulbs and wildflowers, and harvested and tasted the produce. Theylearn about the food cycle and seasons in a local context as well aslocal traditions such as lantern making and playing Tudor crumhorns. Thegarden is now open to the public.