Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] SCA
Shannon CC
Hello fellow Scadian and Shannon :-) I'm Maire by the river in the SCA.
Where are you? I'm in the East Kingdom.
The SCA does have a lot of learning possibilities. My dd is very young
however, so we are just getting used to the SCA with a child. It was a
whole different ballgame when I was single and childless! I am on the
SCA moms list (also at Onelist) and there was recently a post about a
feast cooking class for young children (6 and up) that sounded like so
much fun! They had a group of children in the kitchen making and then
eating a mini medieval feast from period recipes. Using modern tools
tho, but at Pennsic this year (big camping event in the East and Mid)
they will be repeating the class using period tools (no gas oven, no
electricity, etc.).
In our area we've recently had a baby boom so people are coming up with
all sorts of ideas of things to do with young children. To not only keep
them occupied, but to teach them about medieval history. And of course,
the SCA covers a bit more than strictly medieval, so you have options on
time periods. And cultures too. Most people are European, but we have a
good size Japanese group around here.
Shannon, Mom to Bridget (Oct.8.98)
Shannon Brophy wrote:
Where are you? I'm in the East Kingdom.
The SCA does have a lot of learning possibilities. My dd is very young
however, so we are just getting used to the SCA with a child. It was a
whole different ballgame when I was single and childless! I am on the
SCA moms list (also at Onelist) and there was recently a post about a
feast cooking class for young children (6 and up) that sounded like so
much fun! They had a group of children in the kitchen making and then
eating a mini medieval feast from period recipes. Using modern tools
tho, but at Pennsic this year (big camping event in the East and Mid)
they will be repeating the class using period tools (no gas oven, no
electricity, etc.).
In our area we've recently had a baby boom so people are coming up with
all sorts of ideas of things to do with young children. To not only keep
them occupied, but to teach them about medieval history. And of course,
the SCA covers a bit more than strictly medieval, so you have options on
time periods. And cultures too. Most people are European, but we have a
good size Japanese group around here.
Shannon, Mom to Bridget (Oct.8.98)
Shannon Brophy wrote:
> We have an unusual approach to history, which covers medieval history. We go
> to SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). It is a group that re-encacts the
> middle ages wearing costumes. I do it because it is alot of fun, but it is
> also educational for all of us. There are experts in crafts (needlework,
> spinning, costume making,
> cooking, woodworking,all sorts of things...), herbalism, games, dancing, and
> of course, history of the times. People involved pick a persona which is a
> person they create in history, a name, and research all about the life and
> times of the persona they create, along with their skills and hobbies. I am
> figuring out what my Irish name in the 1500s will be, and think I am a wise
> woman healer type (as I used to be a midwife in regular life).Eithne, Aine,
> Liadan, and Niv are names that I like.
>
> At SCA events, they often have simulated safe fighting
> too (fencing, pretend swords, armor, etc.)
> There seem to be people willing to share expertise and that will be
> wonderful for Gabe when he is bigger and able to make use of these mentors.
> I am learning alot from them.
> Learn more at www.sca.org . I don't think I have explained it well.There are
> events where one can go, be loaned "garb" to wear, and watch and participate
> in the current middle ages.
> GWS mag has an article about living history and another on archeaology this
> issue. The teens had chosen to learn
> what they did.
> Seems like your boy could find some aspect of history and learn alot about
> it in this way.
> Shannon
> new to list
> mom to Gabe, almost 3
[email protected]
We do SCA also. My daughter is 7 and enjoys the SCA a lot, though she
professes to despise history generally, probably to save herself from DH's
monologues on any given period or event. She had a lot of fun at all the
Pennsic classes when we went when she was 5. She did needlepoint, made a
scroll, played chess and boffer swords and target archery. She helps with
armor at practices and occasionally embroiders a favor for someone. My son
occasionally puts on bits of armor, but mostly he just likes banging on
things with sticks right now. The SCA is just beginning to make provisions
for the interests of younger children, and DD does get bored at some of the
less interesting events, but she is always excited to go to another one the
next time. I didn't know about the SCA moms list. (Like I really need
another list!)
Karen, (with Helen, 7, Agent of Chaos and Gordon, 4, Agent of Destruction)
Cunian Beornhelm, of Atlantia
professes to despise history generally, probably to save herself from DH's
monologues on any given period or event. She had a lot of fun at all the
Pennsic classes when we went when she was 5. She did needlepoint, made a
scroll, played chess and boffer swords and target archery. She helps with
armor at practices and occasionally embroiders a favor for someone. My son
occasionally puts on bits of armor, but mostly he just likes banging on
things with sticks right now. The SCA is just beginning to make provisions
for the interests of younger children, and DD does get bored at some of the
less interesting events, but she is always excited to go to another one the
next time. I didn't know about the SCA moms list. (Like I really need
another list!)
Karen, (with Helen, 7, Agent of Chaos and Gordon, 4, Agent of Destruction)
Cunian Beornhelm, of Atlantia
Shannon CC
cunian@... wrote:
so it's the new moms and dads who are scrambling to come up with stuff
to do. If you are in an area with not many children, you might need to
be the one to come up with and implement ideas (not addressing this to
you specifically Karen, but to anyone interested). Here is a post I got
from the SCA moms list which was forwarded from the SCA cooks list. It
sounds really fun!
Shannon, Mom to Bridget (OCt.8.98)
So, I saw a need to fill and decided to run with it.
I really wanted to work with this problem for the past
couple of years, but never really had the nerve to do it.
I now have that nerve.
The problem:
1) unknown foods at events
2) children witn nothing to do
3) need for unskilled labor in kitchen (paring , mixing,
chopping, washing, etc.)
4) need for more training for more active roles in kitchen
The positive influences:
1) A bored child is more willing to try anything to not be bored
2) A child is more often willing to eat something he has helped create.
3) What we see as unskilled labor is fun to children (Messy is good!)
4) Experience in a friendly atmosphere creates a liking for kitchen
duties.
5) I work well with children ( teaching and nursing background).
6) My mom taught me how a kitchen can be made fun .
The negative influences:
1) Period food is often strange to a modern child
2) Previous help in the kitchen may have been unnoticed or unrewarded.
3) The decidedly adult atmosphere scares the timid child.
My response:
Small classes (of ten children) given out in areas requesting a
University style format.
Example: At our most recent East Kingdom University, I provided a
workable (albeit, not typical) kitchen in which a maximum of ten
children
could create, and eat a small feast based on period sources. However,
the
cooking itself was thoroughly modern due to the constraints of the
working
area in a conventional classroom). I have a portable oven
(convection/broiler/microwave acquired in the 70's), an electric
steamer,
and a good quality crockpot.
The menu: Hirchones from Harleian MS 279
La maniere de faire compost from The Menagier du Paris
Applemoyl from Harleian MS 279
Hot spiced cider
The result: A class of six, one child under five ( I had limited the
ages from 6 to 12) , the father stayed to help the five year old. There
were
no other adults present.
The chopping and paring took a great deal of time. The results were ill
formed and messy. They were incorporated into the final recipes with
great
admiration of a job well done and smiles from all.
The spiced cider was a hit ! I encouraged mortar and pestle use for the
spices and they also grated a nutmeg into the brew. All pronounced it
excellent !
The hedgehogs, ended up looking like space aliens (one done like Pikach
by
an older child who could not just make a hedgehog like the others) , but
three were fully eaten, one had the almonds eaten off, and two went home
to
show Mom how cool this was!
The compost( mostly carrots) were considered to be good. They really
liked the honey sauce ( no surprise here) and were promptly eaten.
The applemoyl had the best result of all , it was inhaled! The spices
(now,
all familiar: I explained what they were and we "sampled" them before
adding
them) mixed with the apples and the other ingredients were very good.
While it did not look as visually pleasing to the adult eye (due to the
chopping episodes) it tasted better than it looked.
The downside: While I had brought games to occupy them during the
cooking phase, I had forgotten that some do not participate well in
group
games. Next time I will bring solo activities too.
Final Note: All in all, we had a good time. I learned a lot, and so did
they. I think the best thing that happened to me is that when I asked
them
if they would do this again, EVERY ONE said yes! My next class is this
weekend and I already have two on the schedule for Pennsic!! And at
Pennsic,
we will be using camp fire cooking techniques and be discovering how
to
use a turf oven !
Andrea MacIntyre
Ostgardr, East Kingdom
> The SCA is just beginning to make provisionsThis depends on your group. As I said, our Barony just had a baby boom
> for the interests of younger children
so it's the new moms and dads who are scrambling to come up with stuff
to do. If you are in an area with not many children, you might need to
be the one to come up with and implement ideas (not addressing this to
you specifically Karen, but to anyone interested). Here is a post I got
from the SCA moms list which was forwarded from the SCA cooks list. It
sounds really fun!
Shannon, Mom to Bridget (OCt.8.98)
So, I saw a need to fill and decided to run with it.
I really wanted to work with this problem for the past
couple of years, but never really had the nerve to do it.
I now have that nerve.
The problem:
1) unknown foods at events
2) children witn nothing to do
3) need for unskilled labor in kitchen (paring , mixing,
chopping, washing, etc.)
4) need for more training for more active roles in kitchen
The positive influences:
1) A bored child is more willing to try anything to not be bored
2) A child is more often willing to eat something he has helped create.
3) What we see as unskilled labor is fun to children (Messy is good!)
4) Experience in a friendly atmosphere creates a liking for kitchen
duties.
5) I work well with children ( teaching and nursing background).
6) My mom taught me how a kitchen can be made fun .
The negative influences:
1) Period food is often strange to a modern child
2) Previous help in the kitchen may have been unnoticed or unrewarded.
3) The decidedly adult atmosphere scares the timid child.
My response:
Small classes (of ten children) given out in areas requesting a
University style format.
Example: At our most recent East Kingdom University, I provided a
workable (albeit, not typical) kitchen in which a maximum of ten
children
could create, and eat a small feast based on period sources. However,
the
cooking itself was thoroughly modern due to the constraints of the
working
area in a conventional classroom). I have a portable oven
(convection/broiler/microwave acquired in the 70's), an electric
steamer,
and a good quality crockpot.
The menu: Hirchones from Harleian MS 279
La maniere de faire compost from The Menagier du Paris
Applemoyl from Harleian MS 279
Hot spiced cider
The result: A class of six, one child under five ( I had limited the
ages from 6 to 12) , the father stayed to help the five year old. There
were
no other adults present.
The chopping and paring took a great deal of time. The results were ill
formed and messy. They were incorporated into the final recipes with
great
admiration of a job well done and smiles from all.
The spiced cider was a hit ! I encouraged mortar and pestle use for the
spices and they also grated a nutmeg into the brew. All pronounced it
excellent !
The hedgehogs, ended up looking like space aliens (one done like Pikach
by
an older child who could not just make a hedgehog like the others) , but
three were fully eaten, one had the almonds eaten off, and two went home
to
show Mom how cool this was!
The compost( mostly carrots) were considered to be good. They really
liked the honey sauce ( no surprise here) and were promptly eaten.
The applemoyl had the best result of all , it was inhaled! The spices
(now,
all familiar: I explained what they were and we "sampled" them before
adding
them) mixed with the apples and the other ingredients were very good.
While it did not look as visually pleasing to the adult eye (due to the
chopping episodes) it tasted better than it looked.
The downside: While I had brought games to occupy them during the
cooking phase, I had forgotten that some do not participate well in
group
games. Next time I will bring solo activities too.
Final Note: All in all, we had a good time. I learned a lot, and so did
they. I think the best thing that happened to me is that when I asked
them
if they would do this again, EVERY ONE said yes! My next class is this
weekend and I already have two on the schedule for Pennsic!! And at
Pennsic,
we will be using camp fire cooking techniques and be discovering how
to
use a turf oven !
Andrea MacIntyre
Ostgardr, East Kingdom
[email protected]
I love that you guys are talking about this right now! We've been wanting to
get involved with our local group, but when I checked it out online the other
day, it said they were suspended, or something like that:( I emailed someone
requesting information, but haven't heard anything yet.
We're going to the Medieval Faire in Sarasota this weekend (our favorite
thing to do!), so I'm hoping I may be able to get some info there. Anybody
familiar with SW FL?
Anyway, thanks for this thread - I love it!
Linda in FL :)
get involved with our local group, but when I checked it out online the other
day, it said they were suspended, or something like that:( I emailed someone
requesting information, but haven't heard anything yet.
We're going to the Medieval Faire in Sarasota this weekend (our favorite
thing to do!), so I'm hoping I may be able to get some info there. Anybody
familiar with SW FL?
Anyway, thanks for this thread - I love it!
Linda in FL :)
[email protected]
Linda,
The web page with all the local groups and contacts for Trimaris,
(Florida), is
http://www.trimaris.org/contacts.html
A shire might have been suspended for something simple and easy to fix
like an on-going lack of paperwork, or it might be something that would
require you to look at the next local group over.
The other thing you might do is look at the kingdom calendar
http://www.trimaris.org/calendar.html
and find an event happening reasonably close to you. Contact the contact
person for the sponsoring group and explain that you're new and would like to
attend and see if they can loan appropriate clothes to your family for the
day.
Karen, (with Helen, 7, Agent of Chaos, and Gordon, 4, Agent of Destruction)
The web page with all the local groups and contacts for Trimaris,
(Florida), is
http://www.trimaris.org/contacts.html
A shire might have been suspended for something simple and easy to fix
like an on-going lack of paperwork, or it might be something that would
require you to look at the next local group over.
The other thing you might do is look at the kingdom calendar
http://www.trimaris.org/calendar.html
and find an event happening reasonably close to you. Contact the contact
person for the sponsoring group and explain that you're new and would like to
attend and see if they can loan appropriate clothes to your family for the
day.
Karen, (with Helen, 7, Agent of Chaos, and Gordon, 4, Agent of Destruction)