Knights & Castles Unit Study

I decided to work on a unit study over the summer, to keep the brain cells alert and fill in some hot days with indoor fun.  So we took off on a journey back to the Medieval Age.

For authenticity, and fun, we decided to make knight costumes.  For the helmet, we used a milk jug, trim out the back, cut out the eyes and nose and cover with foil.  (This won’t work for larger kids…Lindsey barely fit.  For Olivia we cut the entire top off the milk jug and then covered it in foil.

We cut swords from large pieces of cardboard, and again covered them in foil.

The shields were easy to make.  We drew the desired shape onto a large piece of cardboard and then cut it out.  Then we poked four holes in the center of the shield and ran heavy twine through, making loops for the girls to hold onto from behind.  The girls decorated the front of the shield and then I covered the loops of twine on the front with another piece of cardboard using my hot glue gun.

We used the Knights and Castles lapbook; from Homeschool Share.  The lapbook was a lot more fun for me now that both girls are able to do their own cutting and writing!  It got pretty involved, and large.  But the great news is, Olivia actually said “wow Mom its really fun making these books when we learn about things”.  Woot!

We even worked in a field trip to the Stone Tower Glenn Renaissance Faire!  I stumbled upon costumes for the girls at Goodwill while looking for an outfit to wear to a wedding.  See more photos and read more about our field trip here.

We read books, LOTS of books!  The girls actually enjoyed the read aloud time.  Amazing what success you can have when you find a topic they like!

Books we used:

Knights & Castles 50 Hands-On Activities to Experience the Middle Ages; by Avery Hart & Paul Mantell
Days of Knights and Damsels, An Activity Guide; by Laurie Carlson
Knights of the Round Table; adapted by Gwen Gross
Knights and Castles; by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
The Door In The Wall; by Marguerite de Angeli
Knights; by Catherine Daly-Weir
Knights in Shining Armor; by Gail Gibbons
The Making of a Knight; by Patrick O’Brien
1-2-3 Draw Knights, Castles and Dragons; by Freddie Levin
Knights, Fearsome Fighters; by Rachael Hanel
Knights; by Rachel Wright
Knights and Castles; by Richard Dargie
Knights in Armor; by John D. Clare
Fact or Fiction: Knights; by Stewart Ross
The Art of the Catapult; by William Gurstelle
Castle; by David Macaulay
Cathedral; by David Macaulay
Duncan’s War; by Douglas Bond
Robin Hood; by Annie Ingle
Saint George and the Dragon; by Margaret Hodges and Tim Schart