Book of the Week
Key Stage 1
Knights and Castles
Author – Rachel Firth
Illustrator – Sam Church
Publisher – Usborne
Formats
Paperback – ISBN 9781409506621
eBook – Available on Kindle
Take a trip back to Medieval times and discover what it was like to be a knight and live in a castle. Full of information about how knights fought and what they did for fun. Also includes short biographies of real-life knights and descriptions of some of the castles that can still be seen today.
Key Stage 2
Dark Knights and Dingy Castles
Author – Terry Deary
Illustrator – Philip Reeve
Publisher – Scholastic
Formats
Paperback – ISBN 9781407179827
EPUB – Available on Kindle
Part of the popular Horrible Histories series and full of humorous and gruesome facts – as you would expect.
Takes you charging back to the days of chivalry when knights clanked around in shiny armour waving weird weapons, peasants cleaned up the mess afterwards, and everyone lived in dark, dingy, horrible homes.
Website of the Week
The School Run
Find out lots of facts about castles!
Which was the last castle to be built in England and when was it finished?
Artefact of the Week
Chainmail Hood (COIF)
Chainmail has been a popular form of protection through many periods of history including Saxon, Viking and Medieval. Knights wore chainmail for protection in battles and tournaments. Mail was a type of flexible armour made of iron rings linked together. It gave less protection than plate armour, but was easier to move around in.
Now test your knowledge of castles and knights. Try using these websites:
Which is the largest castle in England?
Answer: Windsor Castle is one of the three homes of the Queen. It is the largest castle in England and the biggest inhabited fortress in the world.
What weapon did knights use in a jousting tournament? Mace, Sword, Pollaxe, or a Lance.
Answer: Knights joust with a long spear-like weapon called a lance. They use the lance to try and knock each other off their horses.
Picture/Clip of the Week
A Mini Guide to Medieval Castles
Watch the short video about medieval castles. Share with someone what you have found out about why castles were built, what they were made of and life inside the castle.
Challenge of the Week
Make a castle out of cardboard!
Visit English Heritage for inspiration and a step-by-step guide.
We’d love to see your creations!
Send us a photo via Twitter @JuniperEd or email us.
OR
How quickly can you complete the Castles wordsearch?
See Also:
- Activity Area Every week day we will add a recommendation for a book, website, artefact or picture linked to a common theme. Each Friday we will set a challenge related to this theme.
