Here is a selection of family activities about the archaeology and history of Suffolk, featuring the Anglo-Saxon settlement discovered at Rendlesham. From coins and stories to colouring and wordsearches.
Get creative, get learning, get started...
How Has Archaeology Revealed Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham?
This animated video for families, children and young people explains the archaeological techniques involved with discovering the incredible remains of an important Anglo-Saxon royal settlement at Rendlesham. What did this royal settlement look like and who were the people that once lived there?
After watching this video, you can explore the other activities below to learn more about Anglo-Saxons
Created March 2023 by Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service for the Rendlesham Revealed community project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Video and animation by Emma Youell. Music by Gemma Parker (@darkbardess). Illustration of the hall by Donna Wreathall.
Anglo-Saxon Coins
Three activities about Anglo-Saxon coins.
Coins Activity 1: Coins and Archaeology
Coins can help archaeologists date a site as they usually had a date or symbol.
Find some coins in your house and describe what you see. What is the earliest and the latest date?
Coins Activity 2: Anglo-Saxon Coins
Here are some examples of Anglo-Saxon coins discovered at Rendlesham. They look similar but the designs are different.
Look at these coins. Can you spot what they have in common and what is different?
Coins Activity 3: Design your own coin
Coins had lots of different designs to show how much they were worth and who the ruling tribe, king or queen was at the time.
Can you draw you own design of an Anglo-Saxon coin.
Creative Writing
Writing Activity 1: Write an Anglo-Saxon Story or Poem
Anglo-Saxon stories and poems tell us of great events, heroic stories and brave warriors. Use some of the words in the Activity to inspire your own short story or poem.
Anglo-Saxon Design
Design Activity 1: Draw your own wall-hanging for an Anglo-Saxon hall
Archaeologists have found an important Anglo-Saxon settlement at Rendlesham in Suffolk. There was probably a big building here called a ‘hall’ where the kings would have lived and held feasts. We know that the inside of the hall would have been decorated. In the tale of Beowulf, the inside of the great hall ‘Heorot’ was fully furnished to be the “best of royal halls”.
Wall hangings were probably used to decorate the halls; they were made from fabric and would have told stories or had symbols.
Use the design tips in the Activity to draw your own design for an Anglo-Saxon wall-hanging
Colour This...
Here are some hand-drawn illustrations of real archaeological objects found in Suffolk. What colours and patterns do you think they had?
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Wordsearches
A collection of wordsearches with an archaeology theme. These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. Request an accessible format.
Find out more about the Anglo-Saxons
on BBC Bitesize:
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?