Medieval Times *Castle Party: On invitation shaped like a shield write: A message to you Knights and Ladies, from all the kingdom around: A festival awaits your pleasure when the drawbridge doth come down. For favors, let kids make knights helmets for boys out of milk jugs, and princess hats for girls out of poster board. We play "Silver Treasure" where you make silver pieces out of cardboard circles covered with foil. Tell the kids that a dragon broke into the castle and stole the silver treasure. Hide the silver all through the room and have the kids hunt for it. We play "castle bowling" where you make pins out of quart milk cartons, paint them to look like castles (add a few drops of dish liquid to make paint stick). Set them up in bowling fashion and use a rubber ball to knock 'em down. For refreshments we make banana nut muffins with icing and a chocolate coin on top. *The book Huzzah Means Hooray is by Laurie Carlson and is put out by the Chicago Review Press. It is filled with activities from the days of damsels, jesters and blackbirds in a pie!!!! I believe I purchased my copy from Instructor Teacher's book club. * A very interesting book with ideas for this time period is called Huzzah Means Hooray!! filled with great activities for children!! Can't think of the author right now, but will try to come up with it. We actually hold a "Royal Court" when we've explored this topic...The book has great ideas for making a knight's costume out of milk jugs! * Books: King Bidgood's In The Bathtub by Audrey Wood (funny) A Medievel Feast by Aliki (Thomas Crowell) Puss In Boots Charles Perrault Rumpelstiltskin by J. Grimm or there are other Rumpelstiltskins if you prefer * Hats ~ For the Princesses - Cut a lg circle from paper, cut once into the center point, roll and staple to form a cone to fit the child's head. We used strips of crepe paper, long pieces of colorful curling ribbon and tulle (soft netting) hanging from the top to decorate. THe children also added color (paint/marker), jewels and glitter. I attached elastic to hold them on but that's really not needed. ~ For the Princes - Make the old tried and true newspaper folded hat, remember them? I found directions in many books. We make them out of plain newsprint. The children then painted them and added a large feather to stick into the brim. *Using the Prince's hat and crowns for the girls we danced to baroque music and did this movement poem: Here is the Prince with the feathered cap (Boys take off caps and bow) Here are his boots that go tap, tap. (Boys march around) Here is the Princess with a crown. (Girls touch crowns with both hands) Here is her lovely velvet gown. (Girls hold out imaginary skirt and curtsy) Here is the castle tall and wide. (Lift arms for tall and wide) Here they can play safely inside! (Wraps arms around self and hug self) * Medieval Banners 1) We used a "shield" shape cut from paper. 2) Have the child write their name across the top. 3) Below the name the children colored stars, strips, suns, animals ect. to personalize their own banner. We brainstormed ideas that might have a personal meaning to a child. 4) We mounted this on paper that resembled a banner. (Sort of flag shaped?) 5) We talked about how royalty would have their own banners to proclaim who they were to others. When you saw a banner, be it on a castle or maybe on a coach when royalty traveled, you would know who it belonged to. We compared this idea to flags of different countries. *Castle building from appliance boxes. * Pomeanders: Plunge whole cloves all around an orange, fasten ribbon all around, including a loop to hang in a closet or other place which needs freshening up. * Mail by Pony: In the dramatic play area we are going to have feather pens, scrolls, ribbon, and stick ponies. * Knight helmets: Using a gallon milk carton, cut out the portion below the handle and the bottom of the carton. Decorate with grey tempra/soap mixture, and finish off with a feather. String might be needed to assist in keeping the helmet on. * Counting gold coins: Spraypaint cardboard "coins" gold. *To keep my little boys (sometimes girls too) from turning everything into toy guns, I had a knight and castle unit and we made swords. These are really sturdy. For each sword you will need black electric tape, silver duct tape, two gift paper roles or tubes...one larger than the other, two paper core tubes from fax paper rolls. Fax paper rolls are extremely sturdy and thick and can be used for lots of different things. For the sword slip the smaller gift wrap tube into the larger tube and the end of the smaller one so it sticks out the larger by about 4 inches or so. This top part will be the handle. Cut the bottom of the tube into a v shape for the point of the sword. The whole blade will be wrapped in the duct tape. For the handle cut a hole on both sides of the smaller orotruding paper roll so that the fax tube can go into it making it look like a cross. this will be completely covered by the black tape. To make the handle stronger slip another fax roll over the smaller tube so that also will be covered with electric tape. I tell my kids they have to slay dragons instead of each other. *KING or Queen for a Day Materials: *Long cardboard strips, one per child *Jewels, beads, glitter, shiny ribbon and sequins *Glue *Stapler and staples What to do: 1) On one long edge of each cardboard strip cut a zigzag edge to make points like a crown. 2) Give each child a cardboard strip. Measure it around his/her head, allowing enough room for it to overlap slightly. Cut off any extra cardboard. 3) Lay the strip lat and let the child decorate his/her crown with the jewels, beads, and glitter that are available. 4) When the glue has dried, staple the ends of the cardboard together to form a crown. *Barney's Magic Kingdom tape will help give you ideas for the medieval theme. *Princess Hat and Knight Helmet *Princess Hat - Roll a large sheet of paper, about 15x24" into a cone shape. Tape the ends together. Trim the paper so it sits evenly on their head. Stape tissue paper around the edge. Glue a strip of fabric at the peak so it hangs down. *Knight Helmet - Cut the helmet shape from a one-gallon plastic milk jug. Cover it with aluminum foil. Cut a visor for the unused part of the jug. Cover the visor with foil and attach it to the helmet with brass fasteners. Cover the ends of the fasteners inside the helmet with tape. *Silver Treasure Game - Cut circles from cardboard. Wrap each circle in aluminum foil to represent coins. To Play - Hide the coins around the party area. To begin the game, announce that the dragan has broken into the castle and ahs taken the silver treasure. All the princesses and knights look for the treasure. The one who finds the most coins becomes a knight of the round table. *Capture the Dragon - Select various types of cardboard boxes to make a dragon shape. Cover the boxes with glue and construction paper. Decorate with pieces of cut paper. Add a paper tail and features to the head. Cut three long, thin strips of poster board. Staple the ends of each strip together to make three hoops. To Play - Toss the hoops over the dragon's head. The player who gets the most hoops over the head wins. *Bowl the Castle Over - Cut and discard the top sections from 6 half-gallon milk cartons. Cover the cartons with glue and paper. Using sissors, cut turrets along the top to look like a castle. Add stone designs and doors with a marker. To Play - Set up the castles like pins in bowling. Using a lightweight ball, have your guests take turns trying to bowl over the castles. *Sword in the Stone ---- Cut an egg cup from the bottom of a cardboard egg carton for each. Turn it botton side and cut a small slit in the center. To make a sword, cover one ice cream stick with aluminum foil. With scissors, cut the ends off another ice-cream stick and color it with markers. Glue the two sticks together. *A Royal Snack - - gather an assortment of breads, cheeses, fruits and nuts. *another idea for coins>use the metal o.j. lids.I like them because they are indestructible.You could even write on them with markers.