0:00:13 > 0:00:18My name is Martha. I'm ten and I live near the Ironbridge, Shropshire.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Ironbridge is a small village of 2,500 people.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25It's in the Midlands, near Birmingham.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30And this is the Iron Bridge!
0:00:30 > 0:00:37It was designed by Thomas Telford and built by Abraham Darby in 1779.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Ironbridge is famous because it's here where they found out
0:00:43 > 0:00:48how to melt iron cheaply, using coal from the local coal mines.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53Living in Ironbridge is fun, because in summer the ice creams are nice!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58If I was to describe myself in three words,
0:00:58 > 0:01:03it would be crazy, energetic and friendly.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06This is me doing judo - these are some action shots,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and that's me with my medal. My mum and her friend always say
0:01:09 > 0:01:14it's not about the dog in the fight, it's about the fight in the dog.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I love doing dance and drama. I like performing.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21I like being on stage because I like when people think how good you are.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23You have to be quiet!
0:01:23 > 0:01:25This is me in a play.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I don't like this picture cos it makes me look like my dad,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33cos I've got no hair. Not good. This is my dad.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35This is my mum.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37And that is my monkey.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39No, he's my brother.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Every weekend, I go to the Victorian museum at Blists Hill and dress up
0:01:45 > 0:01:46as a Victorian child.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Ironbridge Chronicle, Ironbridge Chronicle!
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Come and get your Ironbridge Chronicle here!
0:01:52 > 0:01:55THEY SHOUT HEADLINES
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Only in the Chronicle. Read all about it!
0:01:57 > 0:02:02When we go to the Victorian museum, we're street kids for the day.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05We walk around the street for the visitors to see us.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09It makes the museum look more authentic.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16'In the brick-making, we have a lady to help show us what to do,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19'but we normally do it mostly ourselves.'
0:02:19 > 0:02:24It's something the older Victorians might do as a job.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29This is my finished brick.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I'm very proud of it!
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I can't do this. This is really hard.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39- So would you rather go to school than work, then?- Yeah, probably.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Cos of all the pressure of having to make 1,000 bricks.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46I would rather go to work!
0:02:49 > 0:02:53I like being a Victorian because it's something different.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56It's not something that you'd normally get to try.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57BELL RINGS
0:02:59 > 0:03:02One of the worst things about being a Victorian
0:03:02 > 0:03:06was going to school. It makes me think how lucky I am.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09I do not know who gave you permission to be seated.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12All stand quietly.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15We will now sing All Things Bright And Beautiful.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20# All things bright and beautiful
0:03:20 > 0:03:24# The Lord God made them all. #
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I am a working-class child.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31ALL: I am a working-class child.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35This is where God has placed me in the social order.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Victorian children wouldn't have as much attitude as we do now.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44'They're quite quiet and polite.'
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Not so clean, but wouldn't really be their fault.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I will use my right hand for writing and drawing.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54I will use my right hand for writing and drawing.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Stand up if you use your left hand.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Repeat after me.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03I am a misfit in this society.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06I am a misfit in this society.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Speak up!
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I am a misfit in this society.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I have one week to become right-handed.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15I have one week to become right-handed.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16Or else...
0:04:16 > 0:04:17Be seated!
0:04:19 > 0:04:24'This is my school and these are my friends.'
0:04:24 > 0:04:27ALL: Let's play...concentration...
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'I think I prefer my school to the Victorian school.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:32They let me be myself.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36This is Miss Carson. She's a lot different from the Victorian teacher
0:04:36 > 0:04:39because she's not as strict and she doesn't cane us
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and she doesn't shout at me for using my left hand.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45We're going to talk about life in Victorian times
0:04:45 > 0:04:50and the similarities and differences between life then and life today.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51In Victorian times
0:04:51 > 0:04:53you were more likely to die earlier than you would now.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Families were quite big.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- ALL:- Children had to be seen and not heard.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02There was a big difference between rich and poor families.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04They wouldn't really mix.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09When I get older I will live in Ironbridge for a while,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13but it depends on what I want to be.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18We're going to start the discussion on the word "identity".
0:05:18 > 0:05:19What makes you you?
0:05:19 > 0:05:25Your personality - if you're kind, or good, or lively and loud.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Hobbies and that.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30What your hobbies are, what you're interested in.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33You might say that part of my identity is that I like music
0:05:33 > 0:05:37and play the piano, or I'm a good sportsperson, I play football.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42- Your name. Where you live.- Where you live is a big part of your identity.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45What your family is like. What you believe in.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Your appearance, your hair colour, your eye colour
0:05:48 > 0:05:53- and how you look.- Good girl. Whether you've got brown or blue eyes.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58I'm proud of my picture. It's probably the best I've drawn.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02I think it looks like me when I'm a teenager or maybe in my 20s.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Not at all like I am here, now.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08But you can't be perfect, can you?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21My name is Gabriel. I'm nine years old. I live in Chislehurst, Kent.
0:06:24 > 0:06:2920,000 people live in Chislehurst, which is a suburb near London.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41My friends are Harry and Kian and we like playing sports.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Our favourite ones are football and basketball.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I support Manchester United.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48I support Chelsea.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I support half Charlton and half Chelsea.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I like being in the choir because I like singing.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59I will be going to the O2 Arena to see loads of famous people sing.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01I will also be singing with them.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06# O little town of Bethlehem How still we see thee lie... #
0:07:10 > 0:07:15I like music. I am writing a song at the moment. It is very tricky.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23This is my little sister Erna and behind me is my big sister Monica.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26If I had to describe Gabriel
0:07:26 > 0:07:30I would describe him as annoying but sweet sometimes.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35Gabriel is very nice because he lets me in his bed every day.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Erna's sweet and Monica is very weird!
0:07:38 > 0:07:41They both make me laugh a lot.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45THEY SING IN POLISH
0:07:46 > 0:07:48'I am half Polish because my mum's Polish
0:07:48 > 0:07:51'and half English because my dad's English.'
0:07:51 > 0:07:54THEY SING IN POLISH
0:07:54 > 0:07:58'I have Polish lessons every week with my two sisters
0:07:58 > 0:08:01'at the Polish Community Centre.'
0:08:01 > 0:08:04HE SPEAKS POLISH
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I feel proud of myself when I speak Polish
0:08:07 > 0:08:10to the Polish kids in the school
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and most of all when the bully in the class says rude things to me
0:08:14 > 0:08:16I say rude things back in Polish.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24'My grandpa is really good at basketball
0:08:24 > 0:08:27'and he used to be a referee at his school.'
0:08:27 > 0:08:30THEY SPEAK POLISH
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'He and my grandma both come from Poland.'
0:08:34 > 0:08:39That's your great-grandma, and this is your great-great grandma
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and she's holding me.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Because of the war we were sent to Russia.
0:08:45 > 0:08:51It was very hard. I was a little baby. I was only about three.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I had a little baby brother.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56When we left Russia, we lived in a few countries
0:08:56 > 0:09:00and eventually, at the end of the war, we came to England.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03How did you meet?
0:09:03 > 0:09:08We met at school when we were both teenagers.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11We belonged to a dance group that danced in the school
0:09:11 > 0:09:15and danced in the English villages.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20- One of the activities that we did was Polish folk-dancing.- Yes.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22This is how we met.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I was born in Poland and that is why I feel Polish.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30That is why we frequently go to Poland,
0:09:30 > 0:09:36- so that we visit our homeland. - How about you? How do you feel?
0:09:36 > 0:09:40I feel half Polish and half English.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48I am part of a Polish folk-dancing group.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I like dancing because I like moving
0:09:51 > 0:09:57and there's quite a lot of jumping in most of the dances I do.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58I really like jumping.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08When I do the dancing I feel very nervous
0:10:08 > 0:10:13because I'm not used to dancing in front of people.
0:10:13 > 0:10:19This costume came from the mountains and when the people were walking up
0:10:19 > 0:10:22they also wore the shoes because they were mountain shoes
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and they were comfortable.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28I wear this costume in one of my favourite dances
0:10:28 > 0:10:30where you are jumping over the hats.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39APPLAUSE
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I like Michael Jackson and this is one of his favourite moves.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45DISCO RHYTHM PLAYS
0:10:51 > 0:10:54SHE SINGS IN POLISH
0:10:59 > 0:11:03My little sister loves singing, but I find it very embarrassing
0:11:03 > 0:11:07when she sings in front of an audience because she sings loud.
0:11:07 > 0:11:13'My mum, my two sisters, and my grandma and grandad
0:11:13 > 0:11:15'are all in a folk-dancing group.'
0:11:15 > 0:11:17They get to do loads of really cool moves.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:11:22 > 0:11:26'I like Polish dancing because it makes me feel Polish
0:11:26 > 0:11:29'and I would like to teach the younger children.'
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I'm Millie, I'm ten, and I live in East Bergholt in Suffolk.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00This is Old Hall. I live here with my mum, my stepdad, my two sisters
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and my brother and 40 other people.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Old Hall is a group of people and families
0:12:09 > 0:12:14who have decided to live together and run a farm together.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18This is my sister Jess and if I could describe her in three words,
0:12:18 > 0:12:24I would say she is funny, caring and sometimes quite annoying.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29We are going now to feed the calves.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37We're feeding them hay that we made in the fields in the summer.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43This is my mum Hazel.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47The best thing about living on a farm
0:12:47 > 0:12:49is probably all the animals,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52because at school, if you go on a school trip to a farm,
0:12:52 > 0:12:57everyone is scared. They think that everything is going to bite them,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01but they're not really. They're really friendly.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05This is my favourite calf and she's called Fern.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16The worst thing is all the animal poo that's everywhere. It stinks!
0:13:16 > 0:13:18We're in the kitchen at Old Hall -
0:13:18 > 0:13:21one of many communal areas in the building.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22BOTH: We'll show you round.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- This is... - ..the main corridor.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Lots of people here have flats, or units as we call them.
0:13:29 > 0:13:35- This is the chapel. - In here we do parties...
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Badminton...
0:13:39 > 0:13:41..and table tennis.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47This is the central staircase and up there is where we live.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Race you! Three, two, one, go!
0:13:49 > 0:13:52THEY LAUGH
0:13:53 > 0:13:56No! That's not fair!
0:14:00 > 0:14:05This is my stepdad Steve and he lived at Old Hall when he was my age.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- Hello, Millie!- Hello, old chap!
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Do you think it's nice that people and families
0:14:11 > 0:14:14have come to live together in a community and run a farm?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Oh, I do. I think it's really lovely most of the time.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20We have lots of things to share together,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25but there are times when some people get on your nerves, of course.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28But then it's big enough here to keep away from them
0:14:28 > 0:14:31when that happens, so most of the time it's really good.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33So there's ups and downs in living here.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37There certainly are ups and downs in living here. Don't you think so?
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Yeah, a bit.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42This is my room that I share with my sister Jess.
0:14:42 > 0:14:49I come here to read, sleep, watch TV and relax, really.
0:14:49 > 0:14:56I also like it because it's our own space and nobody can come in.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It's so cold!
0:14:58 > 0:15:02'At Old Hall we take turns to cook for the whole community
0:15:02 > 0:15:05'with vegetables we've grown ourselves.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08'Today we're cooking for about 20 people.'
0:15:08 > 0:15:10It's manky!
0:15:11 > 0:15:14It's really fat and heavy. It needs a haircut.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20It feels different when you cook for everyone instead of just your family.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28This is all the cheeses that have been made.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Mostly they stay up there about three months before they get eaten.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37That's the next cheese to be eaten, the one with December on.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41BELL RINGS
0:15:41 > 0:15:43And then everyone goes to lunch or dinner.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46THEY CHAT
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Living at Old Hall has changed me a bit,
0:15:51 > 0:15:55because seeing all the work that goes in to make the cheese
0:15:55 > 0:16:00and get the milk from the cows and the eggs from the chickens -
0:16:00 > 0:16:03some of us think it's an egg, or it's a carton of milk.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06You think people have worked hard to do this.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Delicious soup. What flavour is it?
0:16:08 > 0:16:10- Dad! Mimi!- Yes. - The soup is piccalilli.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Has it got piccalilli on?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Piccalilli.- Wow! Did you make it? - Yes.
0:16:17 > 0:16:23This is a bag that I have and it has something of everyone in my family.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25This one is my dad
0:16:25 > 0:16:31and this was taken about 12 years ago at my sister's christening.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Obviously he looks different now. A lot older.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38So in the week I live with my dad in a regular house.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42He has a girlfriend and sometimes they come round.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46She has three daughters, plus me and Jess, plus my brother Harry.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51So there's five girls and one boy.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54We think that's OK, because he needs to suffer!
0:16:54 > 0:16:58During the week I live with my dad in Saffron Walden.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59This is where I go to school.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03SHOUTING
0:17:08 > 0:17:11After the big run on a Friday we play netball.
0:17:11 > 0:17:17I play centre in the netball team, which is the main position.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19SHOUTING
0:17:20 > 0:17:26Because it's a Quaker school, every week we have a silent meeting.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Sometimes it's quite boring because you just sit there.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38'Then at the end we all have to shake hands.'
0:17:38 > 0:17:43School is a bit like Old Hall because everyone works together,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45eats together and plays together.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54The food at school is different
0:17:54 > 0:17:58because here it's fish and chips and burgers.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00That's really nice.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04The food is quite nice here, but sometimes when it's really disgusting
0:18:04 > 0:18:06you're like, "I don't want to eat that!"
0:18:06 > 0:18:11I think it's good to try different ways of living
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and it helps you know what you want to do in your future.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20When I'm about 30 I want to be a vet
0:18:20 > 0:18:26and live in a house in the town and have two children.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:18:42 > 0:18:45E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk