A Medieval Theme

A Medieval Theme This package contains: - Information on a Castle, Knights, Family Crests, and Food - Activities for children and/or families to do - Projects to create - Snack and meal ideas - History of Medieval Swords (attached separately) - Word Searches (attached separately) - Colouring pages (attached separately) Quality Time in a Learning Environment Inside A Medieval Castle Keep Trim Castle in Ireland ...is a Norman castle on the south bank of the River Boyne in County Meath, Ireland, built by Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath and his son Walter. It is a very old structure and it is in terrific shape. Look at the outside of the Keep. See the stairs on the lower right. These stairs lead to the only entrance to the Keep. Note that sole door is up off the ground. This made it much more difficult to attack and nearly impossible to use a battering ram against. Plan of the keep This is that massive main door to the Keep. It is very thick and solid. The door and lock are about 250 years old. The key to this door is about a foot in size. Inside that single door into the Keep is a room called the disarming room. This is where all visitors to the castle would give up their weapons. No one was trusted. A portcullis is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in Medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the doorway. There are various rooms in the Keep and they look like this. The wooden floor is the same as it would have been hundreds of years ago. The room for the Lord of the Keep and his family would be the room that is the absolute furthest from the main doorway. This gave them maximum protection and defense. Another fascinating defense measure inside the Keep was the way the stairwells were made. They would have a clockwise rotation so defenders of the Keep could easily use their right hand sword hand. Attackers trying to go up the stairs would have their sword hand against the inner wall. That made it difficult for them to swing their swords. And, these stairwells had a trick in that the height and the depth of the steps would vary. Or there would be one particular step that was of a different size. This is called a trip-step and it could trip up an attacker who wasn't familiar with the stairwells. In the alcove to the left of the window below, there is a hole in the bottom. That is the toilet chute! People had to take care of business in the Keep. The chute goes all the way down to a room in the bottom. And they were always cautious about chutes like this because sometimes castles were taken over by having people crawl up through these chutes. They would often have metal bars protecting them. Here is a fireplace inside the castle main room. It was added centuries after the Keep was first built! It was a marvel of an upgrade and renovation! Until then this castle was very cold. Here is a look up through the fireplace air chute. It is called a fumarelli and it curves and twists on its way up to bring the smoke out. The curving and twisting was to stop rain from coming straight down and into the Keep and put out the fire. Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table are characters in the legends of King Arthur. They were thought to be the best knights in the kingdom and lived with the king in his castle in Camelot. To become a knight of the round table he had to prove he was chivalrous and swore an oath of Chivalry. Chilvary - the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. The combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, equality, courtesy, humility, justice, gratitude, discipline, faith, and generosity (a readiness to help the weak). The table the knights sat at was round because this symbolized that everyone who sat at it was considered equal. This is also the reason why they were called The Knights of the Round Table. They would sit at the table to have discussions about their adventures and quests as well as the safety of Camelot. Knight in Shining Armor Build your own Knight in shining armor! Here is what you’ll need – Construction paper Tin/aluminum foil Glue Black & yellow pipe cleaners Feather, or something similar for decoration Black marker 1. Cut a head, rectangle body, arms and legs out of tin foil. Glue these Pieces onto a piece of construction paper. (alternative – cut out pieces Of cardboard and paint them silver, or any other colour) 2. To make elbows and knees, hand and feet, crumple up some small pieces of tin foil into balls, glue them on, and flatten slightly. 3. Cut out a small rectangle of paper to represent the knight’s face and draw on two eyes. (you could also use two small googly eyes) Glue onto your knight’s helmet. Add a feather or other material to the helmet for decoration. 4. To make a sword, wrap a small piece of black pipe cleaner around a longer piece of yellow pipe cleaner. Glue onto your knight’s hand. (you could also use a wooden toothpick that you paint, or a coloured plastic toothpick, or a cocktail spear, which often come in the form of a sword) *Note for parents – You could also have your child scrounge around the house or the outdoors for items to create their own idea of a sword. **Alternative for older children – Using newspaper or any paper, have your child create a 3-D version by crumpling the news/paper up into body parts (ie, head/helmet, body, arms & legs) and cover them with tin foil. These 3-D Knights could be poseable. The Family Crest During medieval times, all families had a motto as well as a coat of arms or crest. The crest showed the identity and status of that family and was displayed on banners, shields, swords, tapestries, even burned into the crusts of bread on special occasions. The family motto basically said `this is who we are and why we are special`. Even today we see mottos and crests displayed on clothing, walls, and in homes…Can you think of anything that you may own with a crest on it? Do you recognize the familiar Coats of Arms below? Name ____________________ Name _____________________ Name ____________________ Name _____________________ What Do They Mean? Everything found on a coat of arms has a meaning behind it: colours, animals, plants, and flags all have a meaning to them. If you were to design your own crest, what would you include? Use the list below to make up your own message! Colours & Metals Gold or yellow - Generosity Argent, white or silver - Peace, honesty & sincerity Sable or black - Constancy, dependability & sometimes sadness Blue - Loyalty and truth Red- Military fortitude, fairness Green - Hope, joy and sometimes loyalty in love. Purple - Royal majesty, sovereignty and justice, authority Tawny - Worthy ambition, desire, spirit Sanguine – cheerful, hopeful, optimistic, upbeat Animals and Common Objects Lion - Courage Tiger - Great fierceness Panther - A beautiful & fierce woman who is very tender and loving to her young Horse - Readiness Boar - A fierce combatant Lamb - Gentleness and patience Beaver - Industry and perseverance Fox - Wit or wisdom Snake - Wisdom Dove - Peace Dragon - Defender of treasure Double or Single Eagle - Action, ingenuity, speed Horns and Antlers - Strength Heart - Charity, sincerity Hand - Faith, sincerity, and justice Crown - Royal authority Angel - Dignity, glory, and honor Sun - Glory and splendor Spear or Lance - Knightly service and devotion to honor Horseshoe - Good luck Cornucopia - Bounty of Nature’s gifts Gold Spur - Dignity of knighthood Sun - Glory and splendor Trumpet - Ready for the fray Shield - A defender Trunk of a Tree - An object of veneration Wheel - Fortune ACTIVITY – Using the templates below and the symbols & meanings above, have your child create a Family Crest. As a family, create a Family Motto. Medieval Foods and Snacks Agriculture was vital in the Medieval age. Agriculture allowed villages and towns to grow by providing a source of food to feed the people who lived there, and by providing produce which could be sold at the market. General two meals were eaten each day – lunch at Midday and a light Supper. Diet of Peasants (farmers) ● The main foods eaten by peasants (farmers & villagers) were bread, porridge, and potage, which was a vegetable stew. They grew grains such as wheat, rye, oats, or barley. The grains were boiled whole in a porridge, soup, or stew, or ground into flour. Meat was expensive, so it was rarely eaten. ● They kept chickens and cows, so they had eggs and milk, from which they made butter and cheese. ● Protein was usually legumes such as beans, peas, or lentils; fish was available. ● On very rare occasions, meat such as poultry, pork, or beef was eaten. ● Peasants depended mostly on their harvest for food. Vegetables such as onions, leeks, cabbage, garlic, turnips, parsnips, peas, and beans were staples. ● Fruits were available in season: apples, pears, plums, elderberries, rhubarb, and small wild strawberries. ● Water was not clean, so they drank weak beer or milk. Diet of the Wealthy (upper class) ● The diet of the wealthy (upper class) was more varied; they ate more meat but fewer vegetables. ● Dairy products were considered food for the poor, so they did not consume them.

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