A SCHOOL in Ceredigion has discovered a fun way of teaching children about history and the legends of the past by turning their school trip into a ‘Magical History Tour’ by mixing ancient history with a little modern day technology.

Utilising a free-to-download app created by Locly, a native app builder, for Discover Ceredigion, Legends of the West aims to celebrate Visit Wales’ Year of Legends campaign, revealing the stories of local legends that have been shared across the region for centuries.

Ysgol Pontrhydfendigaid in Ystrad Meurig utilised the app on one of their school trips, turning a day of fun and fact finding into a legendary journey across Ceredigion, with the pupils visiting and recording their discoveries at locations across the county.

Using GPS and beacon location technology app users can tell how far they are from a spot associated with a local legend.

The app delivers interactive and visually stimulating content to their devices allowing users to engage more deeply with the culture of the region and explore the places and spaces associated with 12 fascinating legends, including Taliesin, Cantre’r Gwaelod and Twm Sion Cati.

Full of interesting features, including games, the app also allows users to create selfies using specially created filters that reference the different local legends.

In order to make the experience even more special for the pupils, the school also enlisted former teacher and local guide Dafydd Wyn Morgan, who transforms himself in to the 16th century highwayman Twm Siôn Cati to encourage young children’s interest in local legend.

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