Great Medieval Projects You Can Build Yourself

Build it Yourself

by Kris Bordessa

History comes to life in this interactive guide to the Middle Ages, which explores the fascinating period leading up to the Renaissance-including siege warfare, markets and fairs, medieval medicine, and the feudal system-through numerous hands-on activities. From monastic life and castle living to the Crusades and the Plague, each section provides a vivid glimpse into the daily life of medieval Europeans and ends with one or more fun activities. With little adult supervision and common household objects, children can experience the Middle Ages firsthand by participating in more than 30 projects-such as building a marshmallow cannon, a reliquary, or juggling sticks. Recipes and instructions for creating a medieval feast fit for a king are included, providing kids with an opportunity to step into character and sample traditional fare such as pokerounce, potage, and (nonalcoholic) mead.

Genres: History, Science, Crafts

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

I’ve been a freelance writer for a dozen years or more and have authored several books. A conversation with a friend got me thinking about creating a blog. I wanted to help readers take small steps toward a more self-reliant lifestyle, embracing some of the vintage skills that have been lost over the past few generations.

I launched Attainable-Sustainable.net in 2011 to answer the question: What if we could tackle one little actionable step each day to start working toward a more self-reliant lifestyle?

That blog has morphed into a beautiful book published by National Geographic Books in March, 2020 which earned the Best How-to Book of 2020 from the American Society of Journalists and Authors

The book covers diverse topics such as food preservation, gardening, raising small livestock, creating a homemade pantry, and crafting non-toxic home care products.

I've lived in Hawaii with my husband and two sons since 2005. I know you're imaging a hammock and a mai tai right about now, but ::spoiler:: there's laundry and dishes to do in paradise.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some good information and fun projects here, but the reading is dry and many of the projects could be much more specific in their instructions.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book and some of the project ideas.

[Acheron Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how you can actually make the projects in this book.

[Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used this as part of a homeschool history curriculum for middle grade. It's a quick skim of the medieval era. We did not do the projects but they seemed pretty easy and interesting.

[Teri]

Would like to file this away, for the time we start teaching history of medieval times.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

good medieval book for kids,lots of projects!