CHILDREN are being sent back down the mines in order to teach them some lessons.
However, this is no back-to-basics discipline.
Minera Lead Mine has been refurbished and will now become part of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1 and 2.
Wrexham schoolchildren will be able to visit the mine and get a tour with education officer Lynn Podmore.
They will learn all about the archaeology and industrial history of the mine, the documented accidents, the personal tales, the cramped conditions and long hours and will fill out worksheets based on what they learn.
Then they will pan for remnants of lead - a rare find, as the miners, who were paid based on the amount of lead mined, wasted little of the resource. But their panning will become part of their science curriculum as they learn about different types of rocks.
'There is so much to do at Minera,' said Lynn. 'It has not been open to schools for about five years, although the public have been able to visit.
'But now we have a full educational programme in place so that children can relate their studies to something real and local that they have been able to touch and experience.
'And we won't be making them work in the crusher all day without a break like they would have in the 19th Century.'
