In our final Viking session we focussed on everyday life in a Viking homestead. I began the session by handing round some artefacts and discussing farming, food, and different techniques for making yarn and clothing. The children then took part in some hands on activities.
Viking Fishing
They helped tie a net and weave willow to make a fish trap. They pretended to gut and dry fish, and gathered shellfish. (As a vegetarian, making 30 paper fish with wool guts to pull out was one of the more surreal moments of my week!)
Viking Cooking
They made Viking flatbread using barley flour, cooked turnip stew in a cauldron, churned butter, and made cream cheese. (I was impressed with how yummy the flatbread and stew was.)
Viking Clothing
They used a drop spindle to create yarn, tried using a loom, had a go at nålebinding, made a braid using Viking wooden weights, and dressed Viking dolls. (I was dissapointed I hadn't had time to string up more of the loom, but actually some of the smaller children would have struggled to pass the shuttle through a wider set of warp threads, so it actually worked out for the best.)
At the end of the session I finished narrating the final part of my Erik the Viking saga. I really enjoyed performing my dramatic retelling of this story (though it wasn't in verse, so the Vikings may not have approved).
I based my tale on a book by Terry Jones. I remember Mrs Thomas, my Y4 teacher at Parkwood Junior School, reading it to us when we made papier-mâché Viking shields. I couldn't remember the name, just what the cover looked like, so I'm thrilled I was able to track it down and pass the stories on to another generation.
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