The toilet, the loo, the lavatory, the bathroom, the water closet - call it what you like*, we all use it! In this fun, interactive onetime class, students will learn all about the humble toilet and how important it is! (*I'm British, so I call it 'the loo'!)

The class will run as follows:

2 minutes: Introductions.

5 minutes: We will look at a picture of a Roman toilet. Learners will have the opportunity to analyse the picture and think about what it teaches us about Roman attitudes to toilets. (Spoiler alert: they went to the bathroom in groups!)

5 minutes: We will become History Detectives! Using evidence on the screen (a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, a 16th century plumbing diagram, a picture of Richmond Palace,  a picture of Henry VIII's Groom of the Stool) we will find out about toilets in Tudor England. (The first flush loos were created for Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I!)

5 minutes: We will think about what things are considered luxury if you stay in a fancy hotel. Then we will find out about the Tremont Hotel, in Boston, MA. This opened in 1829 and was considered the most amazing hotel - because it had proper toilets! We will look at some early pictures, and find out more about it.

5 minutes: London and the Great Stink! Students will be asked to think about the worst thing they have EVER smelt. A baby's diaper? Brussel sprouts? Blue cheese? Then we will find out about 'The Great Stink' which happened in the hot, sweaty summer of 1858. The city's basic sewage system had overflowed leaving people very sick. And dealing with a horrible smell! This led to the development of a proper sewage system, which properly took away the poo! We will talk briefly about how this stopped the spread of diseases.

5 minute: We will find out about 20th and 21st century loo inventions - from quilted toilet tissue, to the how they go to the loo in space! We will also talk about how most of the world now have working toilets and why it is so important that everyone has a properly working loo!

3: Sequence challenge! Working as a group, learners will be challenged to put five events in the correct order in which they happened. Can they beat the clock and help to create a brilliant working toilet!

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* NOTE -  I also run this class for 8-10 year olds * 

I can't wait to meet your learners! This class is one of a series of 'History Detective' classes I run; attend three and gain your certificate! : ) 

I have a Masters from the University of Oxford, a professional teaching qualification, and many years’ experience teaching English, History and Creative Writing. 

Classroom Policies:

We respect others and have fun!

Please feel free to email me any questions you may have.

My most important policy: there is no such thing as a bad question! Please come into the class with an open mind and we will all learn from each other. I hope to see you in class!