Free Resources

Having the kids dress up for the day can make it more fun and interactive. It can also make the day more memorable. We have put together helpful dressing up sheets that should help you put together a suitable costume for whatever historical period your workshop will be covering. Whether you are a teacher looking for a project or a parent looking for ideas feel free to download our dressing up sheet to help you!

Thanks to Cathy Murphy we have the below fun activity for making your own Viking helmet out of cardboard. Great as a project in class or at home, and will help with getting into the mood on the day!

You will need:

• Thin cardboard (for example a cereal box)
• Scissors
• A pencil
• A ruler
• Glue, tape or staples
• Silver or grey paint
• Brown paper

Instructions:

Begin by cutting 3 strips of card approximately 3cm wide, one about 65cm long and two about 40cm long. With the longest strip make a band around your head just above your ears. Secure firmly.

To this add one band across the top of head from ear to ear, the other from front to back, leaving a few centimetres protruding down to make a nose guard at front. Secure together, thus forming the ‘ribs’ for the crown of your helmet.

Paint these silver or grey so they look like metal.

When dry, line the helmet with brown paper so it looks like hardened leather. If you are wealthy you could use grey, as you can afford metal.

Earlier Viking warriors added ‘spectacles’ at the front to protect their cheek bones. Add these if you want to.

If you are studying a different period of history can you think of a way of adapting this for the helmets they would have worn then?

Thanks to Cathy Murphy we have the below fun activity for making your own Viking shield out of cardboard. Great as a project in class or at home, and will help with getting into the mood on the day!

You will need:

• Stiff cardboard (corrugated cardboard)
• Scissors
• A pencil
• A plastic pot (yoghurt, Muller rice or coleslaw tub) or a foil pie case
• Glue and sticky tape
• Two paper fasteners
• Paints
• Optional: newspaper & plain paper

Instructions:

Cut out a large circle of cardboard to be the basic shape of the shield. Two layers can be glued together to make it stronger. The diameter should be roughly the measurement from your knuckles to elbow doubled.

Take the shallow plastic pot, and draw a circle round it at the centre of your shield. Draw a smaller circle inside that one and cut round it. This will form a lip for the pot to sit on. Push the pot through and stick it in place with tape to form the ‘boss’ of the shield where your hand will be.

Glue a strip of stiff card to form a handgrip across the hole behind the ‘boss’. To strengthen, push paper fasteners through from front; tape at back. DO NOT rely on tape alone to keep the handle on, or you will constantly be making running repairs on broken handles all day!

Optional – Cover the outside of the cardboard and pot with layers of newspaper to strengthen, finishing with a plain layer.

Paint the front of your shield – choose a bright design that will help identify you on the battlefield!

If you are studying a different period of history can you think of a way of adapting this for the shields they would have carried then?