Theme for the Day:
Castles were very important the the rise of the Middle Ages. They served as both military structures and residences for the lords of the land. Castles began as simple wooden structures, but through the years they became complex stone structures. Castles were built to ensure that the king would be able to keep control of his land. The king gave his lords and knights the right to certain areas of land. He did this so that they could help him to control his land. These lords and knights built castles on the lands given to them by the king. These castles gave them a place to live and a means to protect themselves and the people living in their land.
Imagination Station Addition:
Folding Castle Playset
Early Morning Explorations:
Making Paper Mache Pulp
Start by tearing up shreds of newspaper. Put these in a large, microwave safe bowl until the bowl is almost full. Slowly pour hot water over the paper. Stir thoroughly. Once the paper has become saturated, there should be just enough water in the bowl to cover it. Microwave the pulp for 10 minutes.
Remove and let stand.
Repeat every hour for about 5 hours.
Using a wire strainer, squeeze the excess water out of the pulp, making sure to leave just a bit of water.
Add the glue or wallpaper paste to the mixture and mix well.
Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
- newspaper
- 1 quart of hot water
- microwave safe bowl
- spoon
- colander or wire strainer
- 1 cup of wallpaper paste or one cup of white glue or a 1 cup water/1 cup flour mixture.
The German Flag
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The German Flag
The German flag is a black-red-gold tricolor. It sometimes appears with the German coat-of-arms in the middle of it, which is called the "Bundesschild" and which looks like an eagle in a shield. While making this flag, introduce the children to the concept of fractions. Use the Fraction Shapes to show the children the difference between a whole, a half, and a third.
German Coat of Arms
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Now look at the German flag. It is divided into parts. Help the children to decide if the flag is divided into halves or thirds. Help one or two children to fold a piece of black construction paper into thirds (horizontally). Have the children cut the paper into thirds along the fold line. Have other children cut the yellow paper into thirds the same way. Now help the children to paste a black strip to the top of their red piece of paper, and a yellow strip to the bottom. They can draw in the black insigna in the center of the flag if they wish.
- red, black and yellow construction paper
- gluesticks
- Fraction Shapes
Strudel
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Food for Thought: Strudel
A strudel is a type of sweet layered pastry with a filling inside, that was made famous in Austria. the world strudel actually means "whirlpool" in German. Does the strudel look like a whirlpool to you?
Exploring the Culture:
Neuschwanstein Castle
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Morning Primary Exploration: Building Castles
The word castle comes from a Latin word meaning "fortress". European castles developed from forts built by the Celts and the Romans. Castles protected people from raiders and thieves. The first castles were made of wood. Later, they were built of stone. To protect the castle, people added moats and baileys. A moat is a ring of water that surrounds a castle. A person inside the castle would lower the drawbridge to let someone in. A bailey is the enclosed area or yard surrounding the castle.
Today we are going to begin our monumental task of building a castle. Our building materials will consist of empty grocery container such as cereal boxes and food canisters. Today we are going to recycle these packages into building blocks, the stones with which we will craft our castle. Each box or canister will be a single building block of our castle.
Let the children choose their boxes. Using a fairly large amount of black, grey and brown tempera paint, and large paint brushes and sponges, help the children to paint up the boxes. Encourage them to cover the entire box with paint. Show them how they can use a sponge dipped in paint to dab paint on the boxes to get a texture that looks like stone. Let the kids be creative and encourage them to paint as many boxes as they like! We will needs lots of these to build our castle!
Supplies you will need:
- German Castle Cards
- lots and lots of cereal boxes, Pringles canisters, and empty grocery boxes
- rubber gloves
- large paint brushes
- sponges
- brown, grey, and black tempera paint
- smocks
- newspaper
Gargoyle
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Morning Art Exploration: Gargoyles
Gargoyles are medieval faces of stone, of both people and animals. Gargoyles sit at the end of water spouts which direct rainwater away from buildings. Gargoyles have existed in various forms for centuries. They became quite popular in Gothic architecture. Some people believed that gargoyles scared evil spirits away and therefore protected buildings and the people inside.
We are going to create paper mache gargoyles to decorate the top of our castle. This project will take several days. Today we we make the main structure, or framework. Tomorrow we will start to cover the framework with paper mache.
Working in small groups or alone, start by cutting a carry out coffee tray in half. Cut half of the tray into quarters. Use the half tray to create the eyes. Turn the half tray upside down and tape it securely to the sheet of cardboard. Next, stack the two halves on top of one another, and tape them below the eyes. This will make the mouth. Use egg carton cups for horns at the top of the gargoyle's head. Tape the cups securely into place. Now cover the frame with tape so that no holes show (This will help the paper mache to dry faster.)
Supplies you will need:
- Carry out coffee trays
- Egg cartons
- Masking or packing tape
- A piece of 12" x 12" cardboard per gargoyle
Morning Outdoor Adventure:Structural Integrity
Castle towers were originally built square. But soon, they became round or covered. This structural adjustment was made because curves are stronger than squares, particularly at the corner. Let the children test this theory using either sand or snow castles and walls, depending on the weather. The children can build walls and towers, some round and some square. The children can then attack their constructions to see which ones are the strongest.
Supplies you will need:
- sand or snow
- shovels & buckets
Yoga: King Dancer Pose
Notre Dame Cathedral
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Afternoon Primary Exploration: The Birth of Music
Music has been important to humans almost since history began. We've visited many cultures that played instruments and made music. But in the Middle Ages, music changes. People invented a way to record music, or write it down, so that other people could play the exact same music, even today!
The first KNOWN composer was Leonin, who lived in Paris. He trained at the Notre Dame Cathedral, and his music was based on Gregorian Chants. Listen to a sample of Leonin's music.
Perotin was a student of Leonin. He learned from Perotin, and then added to his music. Leonin used two lines of music at a time, Perotin added more lines. Listen to the sample music by Perotin. Has music changed much since the Middle Ages?
Supplies you will need:
Afternoon Secondary Exploration: Keeping Warm - Weaving a Tapestry
Castles were cold, damp places to live. In the warm, summer months people spent as much time outside as possible. However in the winter they had to stay inside. Fireplaces were the only source of heat. In the winter, people stayed close to the fire to stay warm. They also wrapped in blankets for extra warmth. Tapestries were hung on walls to keep rooms warm also. Tapestries helped to stop the cold drafts that would make rooms cold.
Most woven textiles are made on a loom which holds the warp threads in place. For our loom, we will use a a large piece of cardboard. The teacher should prepare the "loom" ahead of time, by taping on end of the yarn to the top corner of the back of the cardboard. Pull the yarn forward and down the front of the cardboard, underneath the cardboard and up the back. Continuing wrapping the cardboard until you have completely wrapped the cardboard with yarn that has been spaced about one inch apart. Tape the end of the yarn to the back of the cardboard. Run a piece of tape across the yarn "warp" on the back of the cardboard to hold the yarn in place.
The children can take turns weaving at either the left or right side of the loom. Working from one side, have the child push the fabric strip up and over the first thread, and continues to feed the fabric through the warp threads, moving from one direction to the other. You may have to help the child with the first strip of fabric so she gets the general idea of how weaving works.
Encourage the children to experiment with different weaving patterns, skipping two or thread warp threads at a time if they like. When the tapestry is complete, hang it on the wall of our castle, to help keep it warm.
Supplies you will need:
- large piece of cardboard
- yarn
- tape
- one inch wide strips of fabric in different prints
Afternoon Outdoor Exploration: Don't fall in the Moat!
Have a cassette player handy to play some fun upbeat children's tunes. Create a "moat". This can be one of the pathways outside, or perhaps the pond if the game is played indoors.
Have the kids line up on one side of the moat. have them walk back and forth over the moat as the music is played. When the music stops, any players who are still in the moat have fallen in. The last player to escape the moat is the winner.
Supplies you will need:
- tape player or other source of music
Tell us what you think! If you have a question, a suggestion, a correction, an idea for an activity to enhance Our Perspective,
or if one of our activities worked particularly poorly or particularly
well for you, we would love to hear from you!
