The Middle Room have been involved in a Twinning Project with Castleroe Primary School from Coleraine, organised by the Ulster Scots Agency, over the past few weeks.
The children from both schools were paired up and wrote emails to each other so they could learn a little bit about each other.
The children also prepared a booklet with information about our school and the local area. They also wrote about their favourite places in the local area and included pictures – we gave this booklet to Castleroe P.S., so maybe they will come and visit this part of Ireland some day!
On Friday, there was great excitement as the children headed off the the Ulster American Folk Park outside Omagh to meet up with the children from Castleroe.
We spent a few minutes getting to know each other, then headed off together to explore the Folk Park.
In the morning, we visited the Irish side of the park, learning about what life would have been like in rural Ireland 200 years ago. We explored different houses, churches and even a schoolhouse!
We made our way towards the town and visited some of the shops, meeting some of the people who worked there.
Then it was time to board the boat to America! The journey across the Atlantic often lasted up to 14 weeks – not a voyage any of us wanted to experience!
We had a quick break for lunch when we were glad to have a rest and a break from the sunshine!
After lunch, it was time to explore the New World – we visited some of the shops in America, then learned about life in Pennsylvania where some of the Irish settlers made their new homes.
There was time for a quick run around together before we headed back to get ready for home.
Castleroe Primary have prepared a folder for us all about their local area – we are looking forward to reading it to find out more about where they live.
Thank you so much to Gary from the Ulster Scots Agency who invited us to take part in the Twinning project and who funded our trip. It was lovely to spend a little time getting to know the children from Castleroe Primary School, and we had a fantastic day together at the Ulster American Folk Park.