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The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

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An ancient Viking unit study makes for a fascinating study for kids of all ages. Also, look at my page more Vikings Lapbook Unit Study and Hands-on Activities and my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.

The fierce Norseman or Vikings came from what we now know as Scandinavia or Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Vikings prospered in Scandinavia from about 800 AD to 1066 AD.

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

From their homes in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the Norsemen (Northmen) explored much of the northern hemisphere between Europe and North America.

A Germanic people, the Vikings had a great love of adventure.

First, look at some of these living books about the Vikings.

12 Viking Resources & Books for Multiple Ages

Grab some of these books and resources for multiple ages about Vikings.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Vikings became infamous for sacking villages and towns, destroying churches, and easily defeating smaller armies in their search for new avenues of trade and the spoils of war.

Fearless warriors and superb shipbuilders, Vikings left their mark on Europe, Asia, Iceland, Greenland, and North America before they were absorbed into European Civilization.

Viking lands

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking civilization began in the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but in the nearly 300 years of their power they traveled to and traded with many distant lands.

They also created settlements in England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and other countries.

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking Expansion Watch a short video about Viking exploration.
Viking Settlements Learn which countries the Vikings settled in outside of Scandinavia.
Life in Viking Settlements Learn what life was like in a Viking settlement.
Viking Houses See the types of houses Vikings lived in.

Viking Society

Society consisted of jarls (nobles), karls (middle class freemen), and thralls (slaves).

Ancient Vikings Unit Study

Viking social classes Learn how the classes worked together and how a Viking could up and down in social status.
Viking social classes in Iceland Learn how society differed abroad from Scandinavia.
Gender and age in Viking society Learn the roles of men, women, and children in Viking villages

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this. Check it out @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Viking warriors Learn what it took to be a warrior, what a beserker was, and the role women played in war

Futhark Learn about the runic alphabet of the Vikings

Viking Mythology

Vikings believed in a pantheon of Gods led by Odin. The pantheon included Thor and Loki of Avengers fame.

Norse mythology Read an overview of Norse mythology along with a brief history of Vikings.
Norse mythology dictionary Learn about Norse mythology with an A to Z listing.
The Nine Worlds A more in-depth look at the worlds of Norse mythology.

Viking Ships

Ancient Vikings Unit Study Ancient Vikings Unit Study
Viking ships were the fastest and sturdiest of the era. The Norse skill in shipbuilding helped enable the exploration and settlement of other lands

Types of Viking ships:

  • Faering
  • Knarr
  • Longship
  • Karve

Viking ships Learn the different types of Viking ships and how they were used.
Vikings at sea Learn more about sailing and ships in the Viking Age.
Navigating the open seas Learn how the Vikings knew where they were going and how to get home.

Viking Vocabulary

Althing Yearly meeting of all Viking tribes to discuss laws and solve disputes
Beserker Warrior who wore a bearskin cloak or shirt and worked himself into a frenzy before battle
Brooch A decorative piece of metal used to hold a Viking’s cloak closed. The more ornate the brooch, the richer and more important the Viking.
Burial Ship Used for the wealthiest Vikings, these ships were filled with the belongings of the deceased and set ablaze or buried under mounds of earth or in underground chambers
Fjord A long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs found along the shores of some Scandinavian countries
Flax Cloth made from the stalks of the flax flower


Futhark The runic alphabet of the Vikings
Jarl A Viking Noble
Karl A middle class, free Viking
Keel The lengthwise timber structure along the base of a ship that supports the framework of the vessel and sometimes extends downward to increase stability
Loom A machine that weaves yarn or thread into cloth
Lyre A string instrument resembling a small, u-shaped harp
Norseman Northman
Pantheon A religion that believes in a group of gods/more than one god
Prow The portion of the front of the ship that is above water
Runes Letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet
Stern The rearmost part of a ship or boat
Strake A continuous line of planking from the stem to the stern of the ship
Thing Local assemblies where all freemen could file complaints and voice opinions
Thrall A Viking slave

Famous Vikings

Erik the Red Viking explorer who discovered Greenland
Leif the Lucky Son of Erik the Red
Harald Bluetooth Viking king of Denmark (also namesake of Bluetooth technology)
Olaf Tryggvason Viking king of Norway
Sweyn Forkbeard Declared King of all England in 1013
Gunnar Hamundarson Icelandic chieftain

Also, we love the hands-on ideas for studying history over at Home School in the Woods.

They cover Vikings in their middle ages lapbook.

 

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids

The BEST Viking Unit Study for Homeschooled Kids. Your kids will love this mini unit study about Ancient Vikings. They are truly fierce people of the sea. Click here to grab this AWESOME Vikings Unit Study @ Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

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One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips

Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery.

The Pythagorean Theorem is that theorem you probably remember from your own middle school and high school years: a² + b² = c². Today we’re going to teach our kids the theorem with a hands-on activity!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

But first let’s take a look at what a mathematical theorem is.

Hands-On Math: The Pythagorean Theorem

A mathematical theorem is a statement that can be shown to be true by accepted mathematical operations.

This means you can’t just make up a proof and say it works. You have to use logic, reasoning, and accepted mathematical operations to show the theorem is true. Today we’ll be using squares and areas to show the Pythagorean Theorem is true.

So what exactly is the Pythagorean Theorem?

Pythagorean Theorem: The square of a square drawn on the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the areas of the squares drawn on the other two sides.

Put another way: a² + b² = c².

In other words. If you have a right angle and measure each side, the square of side a plus the square of side b is equal to the square of the long slope we call the hypotenuse.

What You Need for This Activity:

  • Graph Paper
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Pen

Directions
According to the Pythagorean Theorem, if I draw a right triangle, the square of the two sides added together will equal the square of the hypotenuse. Let’s see if this actually works!

Step 1: Pull out your graph paper and draw a right triangle on it. I’m going to use sides with the length of 3 boxes and 4 boxes.

Pythagorean Theorem for Kids

Step 2: Measure the hypotenuse.

Easy Pythagorean Theorem Lesson

Step 3: Remember square of a number is the area of a square with that length of side. So I’m now going to draw and cut out my squares. One square will have sides the length of 2 squares on the graph paper. One square will have sides the length of 3 squares, while the third will have the length I measured!

To make the next step more clear I’m going to highlight the squares in different colors. The small one will be yellow. The medium will be green. And the large one will be blue.

Simple Pythagorean Theorem Activity

Step 4: Let’s see if the area of the two small triangles will equal the area of the large triangle! We’re going to do this by laying the medium square on top of the large square.

Pythagorean Theorem Lesson for Kids

Now you have a choice. If you count the squares left over on the large triangle, you’ll notice there are 9 squares. And what’s 3²? 9! Or you can do what I did and cut the square to fit the left over area.

Pythagorean Theorem Hands On Activity

As you can see, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides. The Pythagorean Theorem works!


Now let’s run through all 4 steps again with different numbers. This time I’m going to use sides with lengths of 6 and 8.

Step 1: Again we create the right triangle.

Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 2: Now measure the hypotenuse.

Measuring Triangles with Kids

Step 3: Create the squares.

Easy Way to Teach the Pythagorean Theorem to Kids

Step 4: Do the squares of the sides equal the square of the hypotenuse? The highlighter caused the sides of my squares to curl, so I used a touch of tape to force the squares to lie flat. Even so, as you can see the answer is yes!

Showing Kids the Pythagorean Theorem
Teaching the Pythagorean Theorem for Homeschoolers

Try the activity yourself using varying lengths for the sides.

No matter what the length of the sides of your right triangle, you’ll discover the squares always equal the square of the hypotenuse or a² + b² = c².

You’ve shown the Pythagorean Theorem works!

Hands-On Middle School Math: The Pythagorean Theorem. One important mathematical concept kids run into sometime in middle school or high school is the Pythagorean Theorem. Pythagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, who was born around 569 BCE is credited with the discovery. Click here to do this EASY hands-on activity!

Written by Sara at Classically Homeschooling.

So what lengths did you use for your right triangles?

Teach math with these other fun homeschool activities!

Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

What better way to celebrate the uniqueness of our skin than to learn more about our unique fingerprints and palm prints? Fingerprint science and palm print science is easy.

(The truth is, this activity can easily be completed as a fun scientific study, completely independent of the human body. It stands alone as its own little mini-unit.)

As part of our study of the human body, we began a unit on organ systems this month. My son was shocked to learn that the body’s largest organ is our skin!

After spending some time learning basic facts about our skin, I decided it was time for a little extra, hands-on fun.

Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity. What better way to celebrate the uniqueness of our skin than to learn more about our unique fingerprints and palm prints? CLICK HERE to grab the free printable and do this fun hands-on activity!

Hands-On Science: Fingerprint and Palm Print Study

What you’ll need for this activity:

Fingerprint Collection and Observation

Because my son was excited to get started with the messy part, we began with the fingerprint collection and observation portion of the activity.

Here’s how we got one of his thumbprints to observe:

Scribble back and forth with a pencil on the index card or cardstock. You should do this until there is a thick layer of pencil on the sheet.

Learning about Fingerprints

Have your child firmly place his thumb onto the pencil markings, being careful not to move once his thumb is on the card.

The Basement Workshop Store

Once your child has carefully lifted his thumb off the penciled area, take a piece of tape and stick it to the “dirty” area of your child’s thumb.

Making Fingerprints with Kids

Carefully lift off the tape and stick it to the appropriate area on the Fingerprint Study Notebooking Page.

Examining Fingerprints with Kids

Once the tape is affixed to the white backdrop of the page, your child will easily be able to observe and discuss her findings.

Interesting Facts We Learned About Fingerprints

  • Fingerprints stay the same over our lifetime, no matter how much our fingers grow.
  • The only way to change a fingerprint is through surgery, injury or diseases of the skin.
  • No two fingerprints have ever been found alike in many billions of human and automated computer comparisons.
  • Even with the discovery of DNA, fingerprints remain the primary source of criminal identification around the world.
  • The first noted examples of fingerprints being used for identification are from Ancient Rome. Fingerprints were used in business transactions, the way we use signatures today.

Palm Print Tracing and Observation

Depending on your child’s stamina, this portion of the activity can be done the same day as the fingerprint study, or completed later in the week.

Hands-On Handprint Science Activity

Trace your child’s hand in the labeled section of the Palm Print Study Notebooking Page.

Have your child observe and record (draw) the lines they see on their actual palm, on the traced version.

Fingerprint Science Activity

Observe, discuss and record your findings.

Interesting Facts We Learned About Palm Prints

  • Palm prints were used in Ancient China as part of crime scene investigation as early as 200 BC.
  • Palm prints are as unique as fingerprints when the entire palm is able to be studied and analyzed.
  • Moms love having their baby’s handprints from when they are born. (My son included this one!)
Hands-On Science: Handprint and Fingerprint Activity. What better way to celebrate the uniqueness of our skin than to learn more about our unique fingerprints and palm prints? CLICK HERE to grab the free printable and do this fun hands-on activity!

Overall, this activity produced a ton of conversation between my son and I, both about the science of skin and the forensic science behind crime scene investigations. This activity can be scaled back for younger learners, but as is, it worked perfectly for my 12-year old.

Looking for more fun science activities? Try these hands-on lessons!

 

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow

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Warm weather is almost here, but winter may still have a few blasts of Arctic air left in her. So, if all the snow has got your kids griping about having nothing to do, I have just what you need to get them excited and celebrate snow!

KIDS SNOW ACTIVITIES

This is by no means an exhaustive list of snow-filled fun, but it’ll turn them into huge fans of this time of year. And you just might have a good time, too!

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow
  1. Snowball Wars

You could get the neighbor kids involved in this one and establish teams, or have each of your kids fend for themselves. Set up boundaries and build a snow fort for home bases for each team/child. Give them some time to stock pile a few good snowballs, and establish any necessary ground rules (i.e. no hitting above the shoulders). This can be played like “capture the flag” where each team hides a flag and the goal is to steal the opposing team’s flag and bring it back to home base. If a child is hit with a snowball, he’s sent to an established “jail” until a teammate can come set him free by tagging him.

Winter NaturExplorers 1080x1080 (Instagram)

If you don’t have enough players for teams, simply have a great time throwing snowballs at each other! Be sure to establish a safe word in case the play gets a little too rough. You can also set a timer so all the players have a chance to catch their breath, restock on ammunition, and gear up for the next battle!

  1. Fort Building

You can find snow brick makers at just about any store that carries toys. Another option would be to use a small bucket. These things make building a snow fort super simple, and a whole lot of fun! The kids can build up walls or even use their problem-solving skills and create an igloo. You can turn it into a competition based on who makes the largest fort, who makes it the quickest, and who’s is most creative. Once all of the forts are completed, they’d be perfect to use for the snowball wars!


Another way to build a fort is to use a huge pile of snow left by snow plows. Using a shovel, dig a hole from one side of the pile through to the other. Depending on how much snow is piled up, the kids could even create various tunnels and endless fun.

  1. Sledding

This may be an obvious one, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s worth making it happen. Sledding is a blast for all ages! There are all sorts of different types of sleds to choose from. You could go all out and get some pretty fancy sleds that allow for extra speed and are easier to maneuver. They are a lot of fun, but your kids will likely have just as much fun on something as simple as a cheap saucer – a round sled that looks much like a trash can lid. There’s just about anything you can imagine in between the fancy and the plain, so pick what will work best for your family and head to the nearest hill.

Even if you don’t have a quality hill outside your back door, a quick google search will lead you to a nearby hill. You’ll likely be able to find a tubing hill or a tobogganing hill which means you won’t have to bring your own equipment. It also means you could go sledding several times throughout the winter and it’ll feel like an entirely new experience every time!

  1. Hiking

Hiking through a winter wonderland is a completely different experience than any other time of the year, even if it’s a trail you’ve traversed many times before. The snow changes up the scenery in a unique way, making it both beautiful and peacefully quiet. Without all of the greenery, you and your kids will be able to see deep into the woods, and spot things, like sleeping bee hives or deer nests, that would otherwise be hidden.

As you trudge through the snow, keep an eye out for fresh animals tracks. The snow is a perfect canvas for displaying the trails of all sorts of creatures. Your kids will also enjoy noting the different plants and wildlife that grow and thrive in the frigid temps.

KIDS SNOW  CRAFTS

  1. Symmetrical Snow Globe

This super simple craft allows for both the not-so-talented artist and the gifted artist to shine. Fold a plain piece of paper in half. Cut out the shape of half a snow globe from the side without the seam. Open the paper and draw half of a scene (notice a trend?) on just one side, using the fold line as the center line. Next, draw the exact same scene on the other side of the globe but making it the mirror image of the original side. You now have a perfectly symmetrical snow globe. Laminate it, if you’d like, to hang in a window.

The beauty of this craft is the scene your child draws can be as simple or as intricate as they desire to make it. The gifted artist can enjoy his gift, while the struggling artist can still be successful and produce an exceptional piece of art.

You ARE an Artist Curriculum Bundle
  1. Snow Ice Cream

Why not put that snow to good use and turn it into a delicious treat? All it takes is three ingredients: snow, vanilla, and condensed milk. It couldn’t be easier! And you could whip it up inside the warm house or right out in the snow.

Send the kids out with a large bowl or bucket to fill with a good ten cups of snow. Take roughly half of the collected snow to work with first, adding about a teaspoon of vanilla and half of a can of condensed milk. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients into the snow until well blended, then add more snow and more condensed milk until it reaches the desired consistency and taste. Store leftovers in a storage container in the freezer.

And if you want to do the cheat version, look at my Hands-on History: Make Maple Snow Candy – Pioneer Activity.

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow
  1. Tin Can Snowman

You could recycle your empty condensed milk cans for this one, but any three empty cans will do. If you can get your hands on 3 varying sizes, your kids will be able to make a snowman a little more true to size. With this craft, though, it isn’t as important because the cans won’t be right on top of each other. This tin can snowman is also going to be a wind chime!

Our Journey Westward

Paint each can in white and add some sparkles or snowflake confetti while the paint is still wet. Glue on eyes, a nose, and buttons using pom poms or felt. Glue on a ribbon for a scarf. Using a hammer and a nail, poke a hole in the top of each can and use twine or yarn to string through each hole, tying a washer at the hole to hold the cans up and keep them separate. Add in additional washers throughout the yarn to clink against the cans in the wind.

Kids Easy Crafts and Activities that Celebrate Snow. If all the snow has got your kids griping about having nothing to do, I have just what you need to get them excited and celebrate snow! Click here to see these kids easy crafts and activities that celebrate snow.

You’ll also love these other ideas:

There is all sorts of fun to be had in the snowy winter! Enjoy!

Hugs and love ya,

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag

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The first signs of spring are still a few weeks away, but we are starting to see a few more birds in our neighborhood. So I thought it would be a good time to try one of the fun hands-on nature study activities suggested in NaturExplorers: Beautiful Birds, which is to make a bird nesting bag!

I had no idea that birds could use a little help making nests. I always thought they just used twigs.

But birds can use lots of materials to construct their nests, including some of the things we might throw away.

This was a great project to share with the kids, because it showed them that we can actually help animals to build their homes.

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag

See how to make this simple nature craft and try it to see if your kids like it for a spring project!

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Here’s what you’ll need to make a bird nesting bag:

  • Mesh bag (I used the one that came with our onions)
  • Twigs and grass leaves
  • Yarn
  • Brown paper bags
  • Paper napkins
  • Scissors

Just a tip: If you’re going to use an onion bag (like we did), be sure to leave the bottom end sealed. It usually has a metal clip on the end for keeping the bag closed. If you keep that intact, then you’ll only have to close the nesting bag at one end.

DIY Bird Nesting Bag Supplies

I let the kids run out in the backyard to gather the twigs and weeds. (We don’t have grass in our yard, but I don’t think the birds are that picky.)

Making a Nesting Bag for Birds

Next, we used scissors to cut the paper bags into thin strips. We did the same with the paper napkins.

Make a Bird Nesting Bag

Then we just mixed them into a pile with the weeds, twigs, and yarn clippings.

Making a Bird Nesting Bag

After we removed the tag from the mesh onion bag, we just stuffed all of our materials into the bag opening.

Stuffing a Bird Nesting Bag

We cut a long piece of yarn (about two feet in length) and used one end to cinch the mesh bag closed.

Simple Bird Nesting Bag

It’s finished! Now we just need to hang it up.

Hanging a Bird Nesting Bag

We used the yarn to hang it from a low tree branch.

Easy Bird Nesting Bag Craft

And now it’s ready! Since the mesh bag has plenty of holes, birds can just fly up to it and grab some things for constructing their nests.

Making a Bird Nesting Bag with Kids

It’ll be interesting to check in a few weeks to see what’s been used already.

You’ll love all of these easy nature study books.

Our Journey Westward

I loved this project. It was so simple and it was a nice way to get outside with the kids and start thinking about the signs of spring that we’ll see soon. Plus, it was cool to extend a little “invitation” to the birds in our neighborhood to stop by and pick up a few building supplies.

Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag

Try some of these other nature study activities with your children!