Em's Compendium

~Lebe, liebe und stehe dazu~

Coloring Books

Here are some medieval coloring and/or activity books that I have put together for children in the SCA and their parents to enjoy.  There are also some to teach children about certain aspects of the SCA.

(Click the picture below to be taken to the Goggle Drive Folder where they are all maintained. All of the coloring books are in pdf format.) :

****Please feel free to use the coloring books for activities, please contact me if you want to make any changes and ask permission first  Thank you.****

Class and/or Activity Handouts

Here are some activities I have put together to assist with Page classes and Children's Activities (I lost all of the handouts, so if you have any questions please contact me while I go through the process to recreate them):

Viking Treasure Necklace

  • We made the Spike beads by baking Sculpey Clay and using a cute, chubby seahorse mold that I found at a craft store.  The runes were flattened gold clay, with the runes carved into the clay and then baked.  I painted the carved portion with a fine brush using brown paint to make the rune stand out. 
Viking Rune Scrolls
  • A handout with the Viking Runic alphabet and Viking themed scroll blanks that will help guide you through a project that will allow children to make scrolls using Viking runes.

War Standard (creating new handout)

  • I found inexpensive white sheets to use as the base fabric.  Prior to the event I cut out the banners, sewed on ties using ribbon and I drew/colored Spike on all of the banners.  We used fabric markers that required heat treatment to have the color hold.  Because of the requirement of heat setting, it allowed for parents to wash any stray markings that found their way onto a child's garb.
Halloween Handout
  • This handout was originally prepared for War of the Wings IV - but has been adjusted to be a booklet for your use, it includes:  A Brief History of Halloween and Jack-o-Lanterns, Shortbread Recipe, How to Make a Paper Mask and a list of links to SCA Resources about Halloween.

Basic Etiquette and Courtesy in the SCA

  • Class handout for a Page Class and discussion and basic etiquette and courtesy in the SCA.
Mosaics
  • A simple handout for younger children to do Mosaics without having to use tiles, glass or the traditional supplies - but using craft foam or paper and glue. 
Making Butter
  • A simple handout for all youth on making butter without a churn... it keeps them active and busy : )

Page Class and/or Activity Handouts Written by Others

Articles and SCA Publications

Web Articles:

The Compleat Anachronist:

(These are just a few CA's that may help with setting up lesson plans for any form of Youth Activities... be it Children's Activities or a Page Class.  For the CA's that are not found online, to see a full list of the published titles, or if would would like to order a hard copy you may do so by clicking HERE.)

  • Issue #     4, "Indoor Games, or, How to While Away a Siege" 
  • Issue #   11, "Traditional Ballads" 
  • Issue #   14, "Costuming to a T: Basic SCA Sewing" 
  • Issue #   34, "Russian Folklore" 
  • Issue #   49, "Women in Medieval Times" 
  • Issue #   52, "Women in Medieval Time II" 
  • Issue #   55, "A Primer on Medieval Pottery" 
  • Issue #   58, "Medieval Knighthood: The Beginning" 
  • Issue #   71, "Period Pastimes" 
  • Issue #   76, "A Dreamer's Travels" 
  • Issue #   91, "Early Child Ballads"  (OUT OF PRINT)
  • Issue # 104, "The Kings and Queens of England:  A Primer"
  • Issue # 108, "Fingerloop Braids"
  • Issue # 138, "Around the House: A Medieval Child's Guide to Useful Tools"
  • Issue # 139, "When the Work is Done: A Medieval Child's Guide to Playful Pastimes"
  • Issue # 146, "Hurling a Shower of Great Stones: A History of Slings in Europe"

Ideas for Children and Youth Activities at SCA Events

  • Hold! Game:  What better way to teach kids to learn such an important word than by making a game out of it?  Have the kids act as goofy as possible as individuals or interacting with each other.. give them plenty of room and encourage them to use the space and have fun with it... then when you yell out Hold! the kids have to freeze in whatever position they were in when you yelled Hold!  You can also have the kids run back and forth and they have to stop and freeze when you yell Hold! out.
  • Fun With Music:  Get some medieval instruments and let the kids play away and make tons of noise.  If you have wind instruments then have alcohol wipes available to clean the mouth pieces:
  • Fun With Clay:  Clay is fun and very period for the SCA but having kids wait for a kiln is not easy.  Kids can be given an opportunity to learn some basics of pottery with air-dry clay.  This allows them to take their art piece home to paint later.
  • Heraldic (or Medieval/SCA) Twister:  Make a twister game to help the kids learn heradry, armor, or anything you can think of... using images and fun will make it a great learning experience!
  • Children Processional:  At events kids see the adults have all the fun and take part in a large processional.  Sure, they can be there with mom and dad and be a part of it.. but what about adding a little something extra for the kids.  Why not have a children processional following the main processional?  The kids can behave banners, bells, instruments... whatever, you are only limited by your imagination!
  • Pinata:  Yes... pinatas are said to have been introduced to Europe in the 14th century and were adopted as a part of the Lent celebration, on the first Sunday of Lent.  You can fill it with: