When you think about Vikings, what comes to mind? Horned helmets, big axes, and beards? Well, throughout the lessons on Vikings, we will certainly talk about their battle strategies and belief systems, but what about everyday life of Vikings? Where did they live? What did they wear? Where did they go? What did they eat? Well, today we are going to talk about that a bit! First of all, it’s important to know where the Vikings are from. The Vikings lived in what is now known as the Norse countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Can you color the homeland of the Vikings?
They lived in a land full of narrow sea passages, called fjords, and this meant that they quickly became a seafaring people! They learned how to make ships, and soon they traveled to placed far away from their homelands! One very famous Viking that traveled very far was a man named Leif Ericson. His name was “Ericson” because he was the son of Eric the Red! Leif Ericson was the first person from Europe to visit North America! That was a really long journey on a Viking ship, called a longboat!Do you think that you would have done well on a longboat? Well, thanks to Savy Baby Activities, you can try your hand at making a longboat out of a milk carton! Or perhaps you’re more suited to decorating the ship? Well, feel free to try both!
Now that we know where the Vikings lived and how they got around, what did a Viking wear everyday? Often, Vikings wore bright colors and warm clothes. Because their homeland experienced frigid winters, the Vikings had to be sure that they were well prepared for cold weather. This meant that fur and wool was common, as that is often very warm. However, Vikings also enjoyed looking nice! They often had jewelry made of bright and flashy materials. One of the most common pieces of jewelry that could be seen on a Viking was a brooch, which is something like a pin. Expensive jewelry and clothing was a way for Vikings to show off their status, or how rich they were. Can you make a brooch that shows off your status? Or perhaps you could color my two Vikings below to make they rich, colorful, and warm!
What did Vikings do for fun? Now, Vikings had a lot to do. They had to farm their food to eat, make their clothes, visit other Viking settlements, and often they were either initiating or repelling an invasion. But none of that sounds like fun and games! So when they did have some time for themselves, what did they do? Well, the Vikings enjoyed strategy games! Much like Chess or checkers, the Vikings enjoyed games that made them think. One game in particular was called tafl. Tafl was played on a checkered board with two opposing “armies.” This helped the Vikings to sharpen their strategy skills while they relaxed and had fun. Do you think you could keep up with a Viking in a game of tafl? Well, here you can find a printable version of tafl, along with the rules, so that you can find out for yourself!
Now that you know a little bit more about the Vikings, why don’t you try to find some Viking-related words? Now, we haven’t gone over all the words, but throughout the next two days of Viking activities, we will!
Now, what did a Viking eat? Well, grab mom or dad and you can eat something just like what the Vikings would have eaten! Thanks to Raising Lifelong Learners, you can make bread that is just like what the ancient Norsemen would have eaten! Be sure to eat it with lots of honey! (Vikings loved honey!) And come back tomorrow for “Fierce Warriors!”