Studying floor tiles can lead to work on tessellation, examining the lines of sight from arrow slits in castles involves a study of angles and trajectories, and observation of facades focuses upon symmetry. Any data collected will need recording, processing and presenting. Alternatively they can use the grounds or buildings to inspire their own work. This can be based on sound pictures of the site or on the pattern of the day followed there by a former inhabitant, or you might ask pupils to create sounds and rhythms to accompany a video of the site. PE Research into entertainment which might have taken place on a site can lead to work on dance movement and the performance of period dances.
Pupils can also use their bodies to experience the forces that act on buildings.
For example, by making arch shapes in pairs with their arms, and asking another pupil to pull down on the centre, pupils can feel where the pressure exerted by the weight on an archway is most felt. By getting others to add their weight on either side, the function of buttresses can be appreciated. A study of a building with direct religious links like an abbey, reflects both the spiritual and the wide practical interpretation of Christianity in medieval times. Even secular buildings like castles or historic houses often had a private chapel, usually distinguishable because of the fine decorative detail. This provides a good starting point for research and discussion on the role of religion in everyday life in former times, leading into a comparison with present attitudes.