Homeschoolers Medieval day

We had a great day today. A couple of the homeschool mums had organised a medieval re-enactment and jousting group to present a morning for our homeschooling group. We had a great turnout - with just under 200 people (school-age and up) attend.

We split into 2 groups to begin. Our group firstly learnt about 'The Making of a Knight'. The presenters discussed the various armour and weaponry of the time periods and demonstrated the advantages and shortfalls of each type. We were able to see how heavy much of it was - like the chain mail and graves.

An impressive display of armour...

Testing out the armour with sword and axe!

After about 45 mins, we swapped groups and then learnt about medieval society and customs, including clothing. Some fascinating information. I'm pretty glad I live in modern times :)

Discussion of clothing, purses, writing tablets etc.

At the end they asked who knew how to play trumpet. I volunteered Billy (who was cowering behind me in embarrassment! - hey, it's my job!) and he got to blow the Viking horn!

Following that, we combined back into a single group for a display of equestrian skills including archery, sticking, using a lance, sword etc.

Large and enthusiastic group!

Thanks to the organisers - we had a fun day and learnt lots!

On the way home, we stopped into a shop which I remember from my childhood called The Elephant Shop. It's a treasure trove of gemstones and crystals. We spent a delightful hour wandering the shop, looking at everything and learning about gemstones we'd never heard of! (And *ahem*, we couldn't resist buying some to take home!)

I love these amethyst crystals!