Knights & Castles is a fascinating book that teaches children about what life was like in the Middle Ages.
Knights & Castles: 50 Hands-on Activities to Experience the Middle Ages (ISBN: 1-885593-17-1) by Avery Hart and Paul Mantell is the perfect book for teaching children what they need to know about the Middle, or Dark, Ages.
Numerous topics are covered, including what life was like for peasants, knights, religious men, and nobility. Children are able to explore the differences between being a child of peasants and a child of nobles. Would you want a childhood living with your parents that did not include any form of schooling? Or, would you want a childhood that included being sent away from your parents at age seven to be schooled by monks? These are difficult choices for children to make, especially when they learn that peasant children lived a very short adult life filled with hard work and noble children grew up to live a freer and wealthier life of gluttony.
Another fascinating topic covered in Knights & Castles is religion. Christianity was, of course, prevalent during the Middle Ages, but only because people were forced to accept this new religion. Knights were encouraged to kill all those who were deemed non-Christian. Knights & Castles shows how the Pagan religions went underground and also how Christianity adopted many of the old ways into the new religion.
Life during the Middle Ages was focused upon war, feuding. Fortunately, many good things did come out of that time period. Many of the games that children play today come from the Middle Ages. Their history and significance are covered in Knights & Castles.
There are also a number of simple crafts presented in this book that are perfect for schoolteachers as well as homeschoolers. All the crafts require common day objects, such as two plastic bottles to make a sand timer, and shoeboxes to explore "the four alls."
I feel that Knights & Castles should be made a part of every child's curriculum. It is extremely well written and easy to understand. The book is packed with facts, yet there is never a dull reading moment. The activities are fun for all children, regardless of gender. And finally, Knights & Castles helps children open their minds to new possibilities and shows them why it is so important for all people, regardless of religious belief, to learn the key lesson of acceptance.
