We began our study of American History with the first non-native explorers who reached the shores of America: the Vikings.
Sail like a Viking
Your Life as an Explorer on a Viking Ship is a fun book that puts the reader in the shoes of a new Viking recruit. It is a gentle introduction to the ways and beliefs of the Viking. There isn’t much exposure to the violence and destruction they caused. However, there is a depiction of a Viking raid and a Viking friend who perishes in the fight.
Viking Longship
We reminisced about that time we took the kids to see a recreation of a Viking Longship, the Draken Harald Hårfagre. If you ever have the chance, definitely take a tour and be amazed by the story and craftsmanship of this longship. The crew has sailed this ship across oceans!
Leif Ericsson
Leif the Lucky specifically tells of the life and voyages of Leif Ericsson, beginning with Eric the Red. Leif’s adventures span the countries of Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Canada. My only problem with this book is with the second-to-last page. Here it is implied that the Vikings became shorter in stature until they became “Eskimos.”
“As they grew smaller they also lost their skill and forgot how to make sturdy, sea-going ships…And at last they had only small boats made of skin for fishing in the Greenland fjords…And several hundred years later when sailors from Norway again came to Greenland they found no Norsemen but in their place squat-legged Eskimos waddling in the ice and snow.”
In this situation, we discussed how the Inuit people belonged to a different native people group. They were in Greenland at the same time as the Vikings. Problem solved!
Documentaries
Then, we enjoyed this documentary about Vikings, released in 2006: Vikings: Canny Merchants, Superb Artisans, and Bold Colonizers of Far-Off Lands. NOVA has a few more documentaries about Vikings that I’ll bet are equally good. They are called Vikings Unearthed (2016) and Lost Viking Army (2019).
Just for Fun
Have you heard of “How to Train Your Dragon?” I just found out, it’s not merely an animated movie! First, it was a book. A series of books by Cressida Cowell. The names of the characters are the same as the movie, but the storyline is completely different. Experience this story through the audiobook, read by David Tennant. His Scottish accent adds the perfect touch to this Viking story.
Accompanying Activities
I remembered seeing a Landforms unit in a mega bundle of curriculum released in 2022 so I dug it out! This unit, created by Wild Earth Lab, contains information about various landforms found in a coastal landscape and a desert landscape. We used the unit’s flashcards and matching games to make it fun. Further suggestions in the unit included a hands-on play-doh activity.
Lastly, we went on a field trip. We used the pages from the unit, titled “My Landforms Fieldtrip,” to mark down the landforms we saw as we walked along the river. As a result, we now view our nature walks in a new light.
Up next? The Age of Exploration!