This Kapow pupil video is part of the Kapow History scheme of work. It tells the story of Christopher Columbus, a famous explorer from over 500 years ago. In the past, people didn’t know as much about the world as we do today. They couldn’t travel easily, so there were places they hadn’t visited or even heard of. Columbus wanted to find a quicker way to reach Asia, where spices and silks could be found, so he set off sailing west from Spain in 1492 with three small ships.
After weeks at sea, Columbus and his crew reached land. He thought he had arrived in Asia, but he had actually landed in what we now call the Americas. Columbus met the people who already lived there and brought back gold and spices to Spain. His journey helped Europeans learn more about the wider world, but it also led to serious problems. Many people believe Columbus treated the native people unfairly, taking their land and riches. This story helps us explore how exploration brought new knowledge but also caused harm to others.
Children learn north, east, south and west through a fun, rhythmic Geography song that supports spatial awareness and map skills.
This Geography video supports teachers in guiding Year 1 pupils to explore playground spaces, collect and analyse feelings data, and consider improvements through enquiry-based fieldwork.
This video supports teachers in introducing early mapping skills to KS1 pupils through collaborative map drawing, use of symbols and directional language.
This Geography video shows pupils creating a messy map of their classroom, using objects to represent features and practising directional language to explain their layout.
This video supports teachers in introducing aerial perspective and map symbols through collaborative 3D messy map activities using classroom objects.
This Kapow pupil video is part of the Kapow History scheme of work. It helps pupils understand what a timeline is and how it shows events in the order they happened. Pupils learn that the word past describes things that have already happened, while the present is what’s happening now. Timelines always begin with now and go backwards into the past, helping us see how time passes.
Pupils are encouraged to create their own simple timelines, starting with the day they were born. They can add key moments like starting school, getting a pet, or beginning Year 1. This helps them understand that their own life has a history and introduces them to the idea of sequencing events in chronological order.
This History Kapow teacher video supports you in delivering a meaningful and inclusive series of Remembrance lessons across the primary age range. Linked to Remembrance Day, the collection encourages age-appropriate exploration of who we remember, how we remember them, and why this matters.
