Vikings: Adventures in MFW #2

Adventures in My Father's World: Our next study was on the Vikings. I enjoyed this myself because this is not a theme I had ever explored during our many years of homeschooling. The kids learned that Christopher Columbus was not actually the first to "discover" America. I learned a lot, too! The word "viking" can be a verb like exploring, such as "Let's go viking!" or "Let's go a-viking!" I also didn't realize that Leif the Lucky and his mother became Christians, but his father Eric the Red did not. The kids were particularly interested by the fact that Eric the Red used an advertisement technique in naming "Greenland." He thought if it had "green" in the name, it would attract more people, even though it was icy like Iceland.

It was the perfect time to start reading the chapter book, Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station #1: Voyage with the Vikings. This series is a Christian focused version of the Magic Tree House series. The kids really liked it. It is only 96 pages, so it was perfect for a weeklong-only theme.

Yo, Vikings!, written and illustrated by Judy Schachner, is one of the fiction books we read during our study on Vikings. (Schachner is also the writer of Skippyjon Jones.) The illustrations in this book are whimsical and creative in the way that I love! What I also like about this book is that it is based on a real experience of the author's daughters. In the book, Emma goes full board into her studies on Eric the Red. She's so into Vikings that she asks for a Viking ship that was listed in the newspaper for her birthday. She ends up getting her wish, which is what the author's daughters experienced with their own, real Viking ship in their backyard.

Each kid made this viking craft.

From left to right: Tornado's, Sissy's, and Dash's. Sissy left off the hat so that she could have a girl. We made a purse for her girl Viking, but in true Sissy fashion, her weapons are also readily available in case they are needed!

They also each made a Viking ship, combining ideas from here and here. Two of them used empty soy or almond milk containers, and we cut off the bottom of the 2 carton almond milk box for the third. (Cutting the bottom of the box was much easier than the cartons. However, the cartons are more waterproof.) And while we're at it, how about a plug for how delicious almond milk is, containing more calcium than dairy milk and only 60 calories.

I was very happy and proud of the final creations. They painted the boxes and formed a little Model Magic around the cut edge of the boat. I poked holes for the wooden skewers, and they formed little oars with Model Magic. I taped a broken skewer to the front of each boat for them to form their dragon heads and tails. The sails were cut from brown paper bags, outlined with masking tape, and tied on with kite string.

Dash's boat

Tornado's boat

Sissy's boat

We also watched Lyle the Kindly Viking!