Como House Education Programs

Como House is an important Melbourne icon and a wonderful introduction to the lives of people from the past.

Built in 1847, Como House and Garden is an intriguing mix of Australian Regency and classic Italianate architecture.

Como offers a glimpse into the privileged lifestyle of former owners, the Armytage family, who lived there for nearly a century.

The Armytages became famous amongst Melbourne high society and equally famous for their many elegant dances, dinners and receptions. Those elegant dining and reception rooms are still furnished with Armytage family heirlooms and even the servant’s areas, kitchen and laundry have been preserved.

Our costumed servants will introduce students to the complex social world of a well-to-do family and their servants in the 19th Century.

Como Primary Education Program

The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Education team offers a full day program with professional facilitators who run a variety of activities suitable for students from Foundation to Level 6 in groups of between 30 and 60 students. Students will engage in four activities: a tour of the mansion focusing on “then and now” comparisons; a teacher-led mystery trail of the gardens; servant’s work in the laundry; and teacher-led 19^th century games on the lawn. The program focuses on the central inquiry question:

What differences and similarities can be observed between the past and today at Como House?

This program is perfect for Foundation to Level 2 teachers wanting students to compare the past with the present with various thematic touchpoints such as the life of children, games, technologies, fashions, and entertainment. This is an ideal program for “Then and Now” studies and covers curriculum requirements in History, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Personal and Social Capabilities.

Curriculum links for Foundation to Level 2

Subject	Strand	Sub-Strand	Outcomes	At Como House students will...
History	Historical Concepts and Skills	Historical Sources as Evidence	Identify the content features of primary sources when describing the significance of people, places or events (VCHHC054)	Be introduced to many primary artefacts that align strongly with local history of both the upper class and domestic servants.
	Historical Concepts and Skills	Historical Sources as Evidence	Identify perspectives about changes to daily life from people in the past or present (VCHHC055)	Explore Como House and pinpoint similarities and differences between it and their own homes and experience the life of people of different walks of life from the past through servants’ activities and historic children’s games.
	Historical Knowledge	Personal Histories	How the present, past and future are signified by terms indicating and describing time (VCHHK060)	Be introduced to the concept of time, and how the past and the present are linked.
	Historical Knowledge	Community Histories	The effect of changing technology on people’s lives and their perspectives on the significance of that change (VCHHK065)	Explore the differences in historic household technologies through visual examples presented at Como House, and experience the work of servants in the past, and how household chores have changed over time.
Personal and Social Capability	Social Awareness and Management	Collaboration	Name and practise basic skills required to work collaboratively with peers (VCPSCSO006)	Work together collaboratively to complete servants tasks and participate in several old fashioned games.
Critical and Creative Thinking	Reasoning		Compare and contrast information and ideas in own and others reasoning (VCCCTR005)	Discuss the similarities and differences between life in the 1800s and today for different types of people.

Further Program Details

Year Levels:	Foundation to Level 6 (highly recommended for Foundation to Level 2)
Duration:	4-hour program from 10am - 2pm
Numbers:	30 to 60 students (1:10 teacher/carer to student ratio)
Location:	Cnr Williams Rd & Lechlade Ave, South Yarra. Bus parking available off Williams Rd
Resources:	Social Script for teachers and parents of students on the autism spectrum Teachers will receive a detailed resource pack that includes suggested pre- and post-visit activities upon booking.
Cost:	$15.00 per student. Teachers, carers free
Safety:	Click here to access the Como Education Task Risk Assessment document.
Bookings:	Online Booking Form or email: bookings@nattrust.com.au. or phone: (03) 9656 9889

Dance in the Ballroom

Learn about life in colonial Melbourne through the Armytage family, the toys and artifacts children owned and the clothes they wore. You may even be invited to a Ballroom Dance.

Find out how people worked

Exploring the original kitchen and laundry, students are introduced to the life of a servant at Como. They undertake some of the simpler tasks such as washing clothes, and the challenging “which room rang?” activity.

Explore the Gardens and solve a mystery

An outdoor self led trail activity.

Students search for clues to solve the mystery of who broke Laura’s doll at her birthday party. This game of deduction lets students explore the grounds with a map whilst challenging their critical thinking, logic and problem-solving skills as well as their reading and map comprehension.

Nineteenth Century Sports & Games

An outdoor self-led activity.

Students try their hand at croquet, quoits, skittles and other games on the lawn.

Explore the House

Learn about life in colonial Melbourne, through the Armytage family, the toys and artefacts the children owned and the clothes they wore. You may even be invited to a ballroom dance.

Plan your visit

Como House Education Programs

Address:

Williams Rd &, Lechlade Ave, South Yarra VIC 3141

Phone:

03 9656 9889

Email:

bookings@nattrust.com.au

What we offer:

Book your school program

Simply fill in our online booking form with your details to make a booking request

Go to booking form

"On Friday we went to Como House. We did four things. The first one was going into the house. We went into the ballroom and did a dance that they did in the olden days. The dance was fun. The people who built Como House had ten kids and every kid had their own bedroom. Como House was so big too. One of the things we did was playing olden days games like 'Oranges and Lemons'. I had so much fun."
Hugo, Year 2