Medieval Living

Most students enjoy putting puzzles together – so I figured it would create a few lessons which would appeal to the puzzle-builders. One of the building techniques used in Medieval Europe was timber-framing . . . a construction method that is still used today. Students will receive a pre-fabricated kit and instructions that will allow them to build a simple table-top structure. It will be a good lesson on geometry, physics, history and art – I will keep everyone posted when I have these designed and ready for the first class.

The second project will be a table-top model of a trebuchet. Don’t worry moms and dads, they won’t be able to launch boulders through your walls at home! Similar to the timber-frame project, the kit will be a pre-fabricated project that can be easily assembled in a single meeting.

The third project will be a multi-part model of a Medieval castle. I don’t have all of the particulars figured out yet, but I am confident that I can produce a fun and educational activity. I hope to have a some prototypes to photograph and will place them here and on the website shortly after the Santa Fe Renaissance Fair.
All of these will be available to students who attended our classes (probably beginning in November) free of charge. However, I will also offer them online, available to anyone but for a fee – all proceeds will be used to defray the costs of production. I will keep you informed on this – but I think it will be really exciting and popular.

Medieval Living is sponsoring an essay writing contest, open to any registered New Mexico homeschool student in grades 9 through 12. The award for the winning entry is a hard cover copy of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer.

The essay must answer the following question:

“What conditions and developments influenced the European response
to population increases during the High Middle Ages (1000 to 1300)?”

Rules:

1. The contest is open to any registered New Mexico homeschool student in grades 9 through 12. The winning contestant must be able to prove current homeschool registration upon request.

2. The essay must have three parts: A) title page, B) essay pages, and C) bibliography (works cited). The title page and bibliography must be on separate pages. The essay pages and bibliography must not contain any references to the contestant’s name or information.

3. The title page must include the title of the essay, contestant’s name, address, telephone number, and email address (if available).

4. The essay must have a minimum of 800 words and not exceed 1,200 words (excluding title page, footnotes, and bibliography page). (Word counts based on a word processor are acceptable). The first page of the essay must include the title of the essay. The essay must be typed double-spaced on white bond paper. No bindings or special covers are needed. Graphics are not permitted. An original copy of the essay must be submitted.

5. Plagiarism will be grounds for immediate disqualification.

6. The essay and bibliography must be documented in accordance with the Modern Language Association publication, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (see www.mla.org).

7. Essays which meet the criteria in Rules 2 through 6 above will be accepted and judged equally on the following criteria:

A. Historical accuracy
B. Clarity of thought
C. Organization
D. Grammar and spelling
E. Documentation of sources

8. Essays must be received no later than June 4, 2010. Email time stamps or post office post marks are evidence of timely submissions.

9. The award for the winning entry is a hard cover copy of The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer.

10. The winning essay will be published on the Medieval Living website. A parent/guardian will be asked to sign a release form before the essay is published.

Email address: admin@medieval-living.com (Subject: Essay Contest)

Postal address: Medieval Living, Inc.
Essay Contes
1380 Rio Rancho Blvd, SE
Ste 335
Rio Rancho, NM 87124

Classes for Medieval Living on moving on – here is a quick update:

April 21 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm – Chainmail Class #1 – Meeting at the Cherry Hills Library (full)

April 22 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm – Chainmail Class #2 – Meeting at the Cherry Hills Library (full)

Apr 28 from 10:00 to 12:00 noon – Chainmail Class #3 – Meeting at the Los Lunas Library (date and time tentative) (open)

May 5 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm – Pennywhistle Class #1 – Meeting at the Cherry Hills Library* (open)

May 26 from 3:30 to 5:30 – Pennywhistle Class #2 – Meeting at the Cherry Hills Libary* (open)

June 2 from 10:00 to 12:00 – Pennywhistle Class #3 – Los Lunas Libary* (date and time tentative) (open)

*I am trying to get a good price on pennywhistles . . . the price for a student model is reasonble, but if I can buy them in bulk, I think I can get a reduced price. Because of sanitation/health issues, I believe it prudent that each student purchases an instrument of their own.

June 19th (more to come) – Pennywhistle Workshop – Albuquerque Folk Festival ( I will update information on this as it becomes available) For the past several years, they have held a pennywhistle/tin whistle workshop, and so I am anticipating they will do the same again this year.

I am waiting for confirmation, but last year, the Folk Festival was free for kids under 11 and $5 for 11-17, $15 for adults . . . so it can be a reasonable event to attend for the whole family.

Well it certainly took longer than I had originally thought it would, but here it is – my little inkle loom! It is constructed from oak boards and dowels, measuring 16 inches long, 8 inches tall, and 6 inches wide. The loom will produce a usable “inkle” that is 6 feet long and 2 inches wide. I’ve placed on the Merchants Guild auction site but have included some pictures below.
I would appreciate anyone who might want to link the auction site to their blog or website! The linke for the auction is “http://www.merchants-guild.com/auctions/1012889.html” . I will donate all proceeds for the auction to my non-profit organization, Medieval Living.

Inkle Loom

Medieval Living started as a way for me to share with others my love for the Medieval era. My family, for the most part, also has this interest. Over the past month, my daughter and son-in-law have begun putting together plans for a not-for-profit educational organization focusing on the history of Medieval England. I was invited to join in the effort – and somehow came out being listed as president on the incorporation papers – hmmm. Anyway – we are still in the organizational phase, but Medieval Living is moving from a hobbist’s blog to an actual nonprofit business. Our hope is to create a viable educational forum, which will include such things as classrooms and a living village. As I am an educator by profession, I intend to develop courses that will meet educational standards and fit into school curriculum. We envision supporting both local schools as well as those families who home school their children. When will this all come together? Good question! Our business plan will have to answer that question and many more. . . as I said, we are just in the formative stage, so much is to be determined. For now, the blog will remain much as it is, but the accompanying website will undergo some signicant changes as things develop. Wish us luck on this endeavor!!!

I will be visiting family in my home state of Ohio for the next week or so . . . so there won’t be any more posts to medieval-livng.com – but when I get back, I will jump back into it with both feet!!!

Almost anywhere you go in the world, you will find all sorts of gardens. This was likely very true in Medieval days as well. Typically, gardens were of two main groups – utilitarian and pleasure. A wonderful article from Gallow Glass describes in great detail all of the “ins” and “outs” of Medieval gardening. This article, aptly titled Medieval and Renaissance Gardens, is complete with vocabulary discussion, quotes from Medieval period gardeners, and a very nice bibliography and list of references. I thought it was very interesting that the Medieval gardener was aware of solar heating techniques for improving the growing season of fruit trees! I think we often fail to give the Medieval peoples enough credit for all of their advancements in technology.
The authers of this article also include discussions on different elements of gardens: raised and sunken beds, enclosures, walkways, seats, water features and more. When I was visiting England during the late 80′s, I was always impressed with the wonderful gardens at various castles and cathedrals and such. I do wish I had spent more time examining the construction of the gardens in addition to enjoying their beauty and detail. Perhaps I will get back there again some day soon. Until then, I will enjoy such articles as the one noted above.
Cheers!

Ah, romance and love . . . what wonderful things . . . um anyway. In Medieval times, the marriage of two people was really alot like it is today. Why? Well largely because many of the wedding customs we have today have their roots in Medieval times. As early as 1076, a priest was required to bless a couple – somewhere in the 16th century, it became mandatory for a priest to officiate the ceremony. Much of the meaning to gemstones came to us from Medieval times, as brides were often adorned with a variety of jewels. Of course there is alot more to it, and if your interested, you might want to visit Medieval-Weddings.net With the popularity of Medieval-style weddings these days, this is a topic of much interest.