Samuel Pepys and the Great Fire of London of 1666

• After sequencing the story get children to write a diary entry for each event. This could be linked to a literacy lesson on time connectives
• Ask children to retell the story in their own words. Record them
• Why was the cheese so special to Pepys? What would the children bury to keep safe? Get them to think about objects that are really special to them and why
• Make fire safety posters
• Practise colour mixing to make hot, fire colours. Compare with cold colours
• Look at and compare portraits from the 17th Century
• Get children to copy, or to draw self portraits but with 17th Century dress and hair
• Ask children to write their own 'typical day' diary, using the Samuel Pepys 'day in the life' as inspiration (see Downloads below)
• Look at the map showing 17th Century London (see image right) marking out the area destroyed by the fire, and compare to a modern day map of London

There are links to downloadable resources below for follow-up activities or to get the children thinking.