Viking School Visits

While experience of Viking life is important to understanding the Vikings, It’s also important to know that I’m able to convey that knowledge to your pupils. So you’re naturally wondering what experience do I have with schools?

Well, Lore and Saga was established in 1998 after many years of working with other educational organisations such as the National Trust and Murton Park, one of the countries best known and busiest living history education providers.

During those two decades, school visits and workshops have become the major part of my work and I now deliver school presentations on most of the 200 days or so available in the school year.

I actually stopped keeping a full count a few years back, but at that point I had presented around 2000 sessions to well over 90,000 children.

The presentation begins by establishing a time frame and discussing the evidence. I will be wearing accurate clothing from the period and the equipment I will bring to support the session will all be faithful reproductions of original archaeological finds and the best up to date information.

It’s not all talk of course, there will be demonstrations and opportunities for the children to get involved as well.

We explore Viking life as sailors, settlers, farmers, traders and craftspeople.

Of course, when discussing the Vikings, the subject of battle and violence is unavoidable.

It can however be handled in a way that does not glorify the subject and this is the approach I prefer to take.

Warfare is shown to be only a tiny part of the lives of the Vikings and perhaps the least interesting or appealing.

My presentations are about Living History not Dying History.

Living history interpretation is an ideal way to engage the interest of such busy enquiring minds. By presenting them with not just an image of a historical figure but a real person that will talk and interact with them you can break down barriers to learning and present knowledge in a format that is truly memorable.

Our Viking school visits are designed to be fitted into your topic at any point, so you can either use it to reinforce your own lessons or use it as a primer to build upon.

A half day in school presentation lasts about two and a half hours, spread over a morning or afternoon. This timing can usually be fitted around your school routine.

I will normally arrive at the school about an hour before the session starts and will need parking for a van and access to a space to set up, this could be a school hall or a clear space in a classroom big enough for the children, me and a lot of equipment.

Activity days are our most popular sessions and they include costume* for the children and a round-robin session of four Viking related crafts and activities in the afternoon.

All craft materials are provided and included in the booking price.

If time allows the day can be rounded off with a saga telling or open questions from the children.

My intention is to use every minute you can give me to give your children one of the best days they will ever have in school.

After two decades of providing these sessions for schools, some of the pupils I worked with when I started, are now booking me to teach the children in their own classrooms.

I think that speaks volumes.