Medieval Quest

A Viking is one of the Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland. This period of Viking expansion is known as the Viking Age, and forms a major part of the medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles and Europe in general. (Read the rest of this article on Wikipedia.)

Viking Bread
2 cups white bread flour
3 cups whole wheat or barley flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups warm water

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in half of the sunflower seeds. Add warm water and stir. Knead mixture into a stiff dough. Form into a flat loaf shape and place on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle the remaining seeds onto the dough and press down slightly so that they stick to dough. Place baking sheet into a cold oven. Turn oven to 375 degrees and bake for 1 hour. Serve with roasted meat.

Viking Ship
3D papercraft

Viking Mural
coloring page

The Vikings
Activities and a Viking game

Running a Household In the Viking Era
recipes and more

Meet the Vikings
crafts, combat, and more

Viking and Anglo-Saxon Foods
recipes

The Vikings
links and worksheets

The Vikings
unit

Viking Tales
free online book

Stories of the Viking
free online book

Viking Puppets
Print, cut, and fold! Cute stand-up paper puppets.

Runic Alphabets
Little is known about the origins of the Runic alphabet, which is traditionally known as futhark after the first six letters. . .

Viking Multi-book Unit
Unit and Lapbook

The social and economic system which characterized most European societies in the Middle Ages goes by the name of feudalism. The system, in its most basic essence, is the granting of land in return for military service.

The center of the feudal system in medieval Europe was the king, and a medieval king was, above everything else, a warrior. From the 9th to the 14th centuries-the heyday of feudalism-the most important element in making war was the armored and mounted knight. To maintain a retinue of knights was, however, very expensive. In return for providing the king with warriors, tenants-in-chief were granted large holding of land. A grant of land was known as a "feud" or a "fief": hence the term "feudalism". The tenants-in-chief (commonly called barons in England) received their lands directly from the king and, in turn, leased parts of their estates to the knights, who in their turn gave leases to yeomen. (Read the rest of this article on Wikipedia.)

Famous Men of the Middle Ages
by John H. Haaren
Attractive biographical sketches of thirty-five of the most prominent characters in the history of the Middle Ages, from the barbarian invasions to the invention of the printing press. Each story is told in a clear, simple manner, and is well calculated to awaken and stimulate the youthful imagination.

When Knights Were Bold
By Eva March Tappan
"Spirited and interesting picture of life in castles and manors, monasteries and towns during the Middle Ages. The description of the customs of knights is especially full." You could even base a complete unit study on this book.

Chapter 1 "Page, Squire, and Knight"
tri-fold

Chapter 2  "The Knight's Arms and Armor"
Armour Diagrams
worksheet

Chapter 3 "Jousts and Tournaments"
symbols and their meanings (clipart)
make your own coat of arms
Medieval Law and Order

Chapter 4 "How To Capture A Castle"
castle types flap book
Defending A Castle
Attacking a Castle
War Machines
How Trebuchets Work
build a catapult
mousetrap catapult project

Chapter 5 "Daily Life In The Castle"
build a cardboard castle
castle model
coloring pages
more coloring pages

Medieval Feast:
foul food
Medieval Cookery Booklet

Jesters:
info
learn to juggle & make your own balls
jester's hat
jester jumping jack

Medieval Games:
Fox and Geese & Nine Man's Morris
More Medieval Games (without the boards)

Chapter 6 "Life On A Manor"
feudal booklet
feudal pyramid
Medieval people mini-books
The Poor Peasant
Working For The Lord
Village Life & blank map
The Lifestyle of Medieval Peasants
Cruck Houses

The History of the Pretzel
As early as 610AD at a monastery somewhere in Southern France or Northern Italy. Monks used scraps of dough and formed them into strips to represent a child's arms folded in prayer. The three empty holes represented the Christian Trinity. The monks called it a Pretiola, Latin for little reward. (Pretzels are believed to have been first given to children as a reward for learning to say their prayers correctly.) From there, the pretiola transformed into the Italian word, brachiola, or "little arms." The popularity of the brachiola journeyed beyond France and Italy to where it really found favor, in Austria and Germany, where it became known as the Bretzel. Since pretzels didn't contain any ingredients that weren't eaten during the pre-Easter season - eggs, milk, butter, lard - the pretzel became a popular Lenten food throughout the Middle Ages.

Pretzel Recipe
(Give each child their ingredients and allow them to mix their own batch.)

* 1/2 tsp. yeast
* 3 Tbsp. water, warm
* 1/2 tsp. sugar
* 1/2 cup flour

Stir yeast and water until dissolved. Add sugar and flour. Stir, knead on lightly floured surface. Cut into four (4) equal pieces. Roll into snake shapes (about 12 inches long), fold into pretzel shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets. Brush pretzels with beaten egg white. Sprinkle with course salt (optional). Bake at 425 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pentecost To Fall of Rome

Sixty-five pages covering twenty-one topics. This set includes notebook pages for each lesson and activity/ worksheet type pages for each lesson, plus some coloring pages.



Daily Life In the Dark Ages to Alfred the Great
Sixty-eight pages covering twenty-one topics. This set includes notebook pages for each lesson and activity/ worksheet type pages for each lesson, plus some coloring pages.




Lydveldid Island to The Shogun & Samurai of Japan
Sixty-eight pages covering twenty-one topics. This set includes notebook pages for each lesson and activity/ worksheet type pages for each lesson, plus some coloring pages.




St. Francis of Assisi to Gutenberg
Sixty-five pages covering twenty-one topics. This set includes notebook pages and activity/ worksheet type pages for each lesson, plus some coloring pages.