I’ve shared before how I work unit studies into our normally Classical / Charlotte Mason homeschool. When motivation is low, the hands-on nature of a unit study can see you through. Right before Christmas this year, I did a unit on the feudal system with my two youngest. We had a blast! The Book List Veritas Press History Cards are the basis of our history study, and there is a card in the pack on the feudal system. One thing I love about these cards is that they include a list of resources. Several of the books I used were on this list. For the history, science, and math portion of our unit, we read If You Lived in the Days of the Knights by Ann McGovern, Castle by David Macauley, and The Art of the Catapult by William Gurstelle. We didn’t read all of the second two, but I’ll get into that later. For the literature portion, we read Chanticleer by Barbara Cooney, Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges, Ivanhoe by Marianna Mayer , and Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Gray Vining . The first three books are picture books and fairly short, while the last one is a chapter book. Since our unit was three weeks long, we read the first three during week one and then read the chapter book weeks two and three. The best part? Every single book listed was found at our public library! The Activities #1 Lego Castle We used the book Castle to learn how castles were built, the parts of a castle, and how they were defended from enemies. I wouldn’t recommend reading this entire book because there is a LOT of information. We skimmed it and looked at the amazing cross-section illustrations. David Macauley has won many awards for his architectural books for children, and you can easily see why. (I also highly recommend his books Pyramid and Cathedral. All three are easily available at most libraries.) I then challenged my kids to build a castle like the one we’d seen in the book with as many of the architectural details as they could. It took them a couple of days to finish, but I think they did a pretty good job! They included a drawbridge, turrets, a throne room, and a portcullis. We also labeled parts of a castle using this free printable from WordUnited. #2 Coats of Arms We learned what different symbols and images on a knight’s shield meant, and then the kids made their own out of cardboard. We also had a knighting ceremony and a sword fight! (Glimpses of my messy house included to make you feel better about your housekeeping skills!) Then Haley decided her American Girl doll needed to joust. (This was not assigned by me - she did this all on her own!) #3 Catapults You could do an entire unit just using this book by William Gurstelle. We read just one chapter, then I challenged the kids to make catapults out of Legos. If you have a child who is really into engineering, you could easily give them a month's worth of projects from this resource. I, however, wasn’t quite adventurous enough to attempt building some of these contraptions with wood, hammer, and nails! The book also includes weapons and battle stories involving other times in history like Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire. Definitely a book worth checking out! #4 Chart on the Feudal System The pictures we used for this poster come from the Veritas Press teacher book that goes with the history cards. However, there are a ton of resources online, most free, that outlines the roles in the feudal system. In reality, the system was a bit more complex than this chart we made, but my kids are only eight and ten. Some online resources go into feudalism more deeply to include things like the political structure of the church. You can make it fit the age and ability of your children. My only goal was to give them a basic idea of how the system worked. To be honest, I rarely use the Veritas Press history teacher book, and I don’t think it’s worth the extra money to purchase it. (But I’ll go into that more in a future post on how we use Veritas Press history curriculum.) Oh, and Ian also got down on one knee to pledge fealty as a vassal to his lord (Haley), then they switched! Who doesn’t love “lording it over” a sibling? #5 Knight Lapbooks These fantastic lapbooks can be downloaded for free from homeschoolshare.com . It lined up really well with the book If You Lived in the Days of the Knights. The download includes so much great content, you can really pick and choose to make the kind of lapbook that works best for your kids. What we didn’t get to: Putting on a Minstrel Show The main character, Adam, in Adam of the Road is a minstrel, so when we finished the book, I tasked Haley and Ian with putting together a show for Daddy, big brother, and me. However, we never got around to actually sitting down and watching their “show.” Of course, their idea of minstrelsy was to put on a mock fight in the backyard, which is a tournament, not minstrelsy, so I’m not sure they really grasped the assignment anyway! Medieval Feast Pretty much any blog post or pin on Pinterest about a unit on Medieval times recommends putting on a feast. This honestly seemed too daunting to me (and how many kids will actually eat medieval cuisine anyway?), but when I saw a post called “A Homeschool Medieval Feast That Won’t Stress You Out” on RaisingArrows.Net, I thought maybe I could tackle it after all. Unfortunately, it was Christmas time, and between several Christmas performances and a few parties we were invited to, there just wasn’t time for a feast. However, definitely give Raising Arrows a visit because she has amazing ideas that are more than do-able. Movie Night Raising Arrows also recommended the movie Pendragon on PureFlix. However, we don’t have PureFlix and neither did our library have the DVD. I was going to sign up for a 30 day trial of PureFlix, but . . . it never happened. It looks good, but just be warned that I haven’t actually seen this movie. I don’t think the Disney cartoons Sword in the Stone or Robin Hood are historically accurate, are they?
Overall, our unit was a success. The kids learned a lot about daily life in the Middle Ages and explored mathematical and engineering concepts in the process. I hope I’ve given you resources and ideas to successfully pull off a feudal system unit of your own!
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AuthorHi, I'm Melanie! I'm a homeschooling mom of three kids ages 13, 11, and 9. I have a BS in English Secondary Education from Asbury University plus 30 hours of gifted certification course work. I've taught in just about every situation you can imagine. Public school, private, homeschool hybrid, and private tutoring. The most important thing I've learned? One on one, individualized instruction can't be beat. Archives
July 2022
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