Vikings...

We are loving the study of the Vikings. It's funny how the kids will take the time period we are studying and really expand on it during their own play. We have a Viking helmet in the dress-up box and it's worn regularly...though the children now know that helmet wearing by the Vikings wasn't as common as it is portrayed to be. Since the era of the Vikings came almost one thousand years before the industrial revolution. No factories meant that any metals would have to be hand-mined and hand-melted; a costly and time consuming task. Therefore helmets were probably only worn by the richest, most important vikings. Also archeologists haven't found many of them preserved at the larger burial sites. They have found many swords, shields and other battle gear though.

On another note...B said to me last night, as I was reading some posts about winter gardening on a site I visit: "Mom, I like reading the stuff you read...it's so interesting". I think I was reading about adding compost to a garden and what different materials add different nutrients. Atleast it's something worthwhile that she's gleaning information from. Not enough people seem to be keeping gardens anymore. Atleast she finds that more interesting than other kids her age: what teen celebrity is wearing what or dating who, who's in rehab now or playing in what movie...that just bores me to tears! I'm so glad she isn't into that sort of thing; it's so superficial.