viking trip ks2

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• School Visits
• Education Programme
• Anglo Saxon and Viking

Anglo Saxons & Vikings

Explore the turbulent world of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings in 10 th Century AD in this exciting, hands-on workshop. Arrive at our settlement just after a Viking raid has taken place and see the effects it has had on the Anglo Saxon community. Our historical characters will help you examine what life was like for these two groups of people; considering home life, religion, work, battle, trade, food, language and geography. We can offer a single focus day on either Anglo Saxons or Vikings, or a combined programme for a compare/contrast study of both - just let us know what you prefer when you book.

Learning Outcomes:

Group size:.

This programme can accommodate 12-228 children . You will be allocated to a site (either Old Hall or Farm) depending on your group size and our availability.

Please note that groups of 100+ can only be supported from mid June - end of July. For large groups, period music and/or a falconry demonstration can be arranged for an additional charge.

Activities:

The programme will be mainly held outside (weather depending), so our team make a final decision about specific activities on the morning of the event. However, typical activities include: shelter building, outdoor cookery, threshing/winnowing, deer walk and weapons. Don't worry if the weather is poor, we have an indoor programme that is just as exciting and engaging so you won't miss out!

Our advice is to wear sensible shoes, dress warmly and for the weather. Remember - we are a period site without central heating!

Children are welcome to come dressed up for the visit. Consult our costume information sheet (PDF,177KB)  for some outfit ideas.

This is our most popular programme and as a result, we recommend booking as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment. Make an enquiry using our Schools Enquiry form or contact us to discuss your requirements at [email protected] / 01625 374428.

Risk Assessment:

Information about risk assessments and our health and safety procedures for this workshop.

Download our Viking information pack (PDF,1.50MB)  as either a pre or post visit resource.

School Testimonies

‘A brilliant day had by all! Best school visit I have been on in 5 years of teaching. Staff were all brilliant and made it thoroughly enjoyable.’ (St George’s CE Primary School)

‘Overall this was the best trip I have ever been on! Staff were helpful and engaging. The amount of activities on offer was great- my class didn’t stop and loved every minute of it. Thank you to all of the staff. I will definitely be coming back.’ (Belgrave Academy)

'"Best day ever!” Many of our children said. The staff pitched the activities to our varied age groups effectively.’ (Exam Primary School)

'Thank you to both of the leaders of the day for the way in which they bring history alive and give the children quality learning experiences. The presentation is excellent.’ (Mersey Drive Catholic Primary)

Photograph Credit: Margaret Clark

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• School Visits

Viking & Anglo-Saxon School Visits

Using a dynamic combination of character acting, questioning and role play we seek to inspire your students, as part of a school visit that is both fun and educational. Our sessions are based on the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum and can be tailored to meet individual requirements.

Watch the attached video, meet Olaf the Beardless and hear what he has to say. Then you can view our school visits below and select which experience suits your needs. Once you have completed our contact form we will send you a quote and some further information.

Viking Experience

Winter is over. The fjords are free of ice and longships are being loaded with stockfish and furs. The Vikings are heading south and Olaf is looking for a crew…

This session is focussed on the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England, as detailed in the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. Your students will brave an ocean storm, sleep on a creaking longship, haggle in the marketplace and undertake a series of challenges to test their speed, strength and skill, to become a true dreng .

Sagas around a crackling fire, runic prophecies and lots of rowing. This session has it all!

Anglo-Saxon Experience

Spring is here. Crops have been planted and blades are being sharpened. The Anglo-Saxons are preparing for battle and Oswald is looking for warriors…

This session is focussed on Britain’s settlement by the Anglo-Saxons, as detailed in the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. Enter the meadhall and witness your students swearing oaths to the Christian king of Northumbria. One among them will receive gifts of clothing, armour and weapons, but only if they prove to be an honourable gesith .

For riddles, games, challenges and the epic tale of Beowulf and Grendel, look no further!

Virtual Experience

Winter has returned. The harvest has been gathered and the nights are getting longer. It’s the perfect time to sit around a fire and enjoy a good story…

These sessions connect your students with either Olaf the Viking or Oswald the Anglo-Saxon, allowing these characters to support your teaching via video chat. Help Olaf pack his sea chest, explore Oswald’s treasure hoard, learn about the gods of Asgard, experience a day in the life of a Christian monk or ask your own questions.

Role-play, acting, storytelling, artefacts, questions, the learning opportunities are endless!

We can specifically tailor our sessions to meet your needs and have delivered presentations on a wide range of subjects, including The Battle of Hastings and Norse Mythology.

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Peace of mind for you

• All our sessions are delivered by an experienced qualified teacher with a history degree
• An enhanced DBS check
• £5,000,000.00 Public Liability Insurance
• Fully vaccinated
• A detailed risk assessment
• A session which is inspired by the National Curriculum
• Experience catering for a range of disabilities and special needs
• Authentic clothing and artefacts which are copies of real archaeological finds

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss the possibilities of a visit further and check our availability, please feel free to   contact us

Viking Visits for Schools

Invite the Norseman, Gregolf and his wife Leagrid into your school and be transported back in time to the year 1031AD. Gregolf is primarily a trader and Leagrid cares for the home and children.

The Viking school visit can be booked for one or several classes for a full day or a half day. We have worked with up to four classes before and have enough resources and activities even for a whole small school to be busy with Viking sessions all day. The costs quoted below cover Gregolf and/or Leagrid to come into local schools (please see our Terms and Conditions).

Below is an outline of a typical Viking Visit.

Introduction

Summoning with horn-blowing.  Gregolf and Leagrid introduce themselves and provide each child with their own Viking name for the day.  Their every day clothing, objects and way of life are discussed and children are invited to dress as Norsemen.

Raiders Session

Raiders typifies the Specialists style of “learning with a laugh.”  Leagrid humourously explains the reasons why Gregolf used to be a berserker (and why he has a more peaceful existence now), comparing and contrasting weaponry and armour through the Viking Age.  Children handle weaponry, make a shield wall and learn how to attack one, using shields offensively.  Leagrid demonstrates dances for groups to learn set to simple music from one thousand years ago.  (Gregolf does not usually dance unless specially requested.) 

This session helps children to understand the reasons why Norsemen were raiders prior to settling and can incorporate storytelling.

This session is a fantastic opportunity for children to handle many authentic objects most of which are of museum quality.  Children discover the “new” idea of money and how it fits into trading for Vikings.  The impressive overseas network is discussed and time is usually made for questions and answers throughout and at the end of the session.

Broochmaking

This simple, teacher-led session incorporates art/DT and facilitates the Specialist policy of working with large numbers of children throughout the school day at no extra cost.

Writing With Runes

This teacher-led session can be left as a follow up on days where Gregolf is booked for a single class.

Pastimes, Toys & Games

Children will usually have the opportunity to play two old Norse games such as Kubb and Nine Mens Morris.  Fivestones and Dice can also be made available on request.  We bring a class set of solid wood Nine Men’s Morris boards for children to challenge each other.  Optionally, children may also make their own Three Men’s Morris game.

Storytelling

Norse myths & storytelling.

We end the day with a myth told in oral tradition and, if time allows, combine this with more interactive storytelling as a whole group.  All of the children can join in, playing simple parts in a light-hearted tale.

We, Greg and Lisa, work fully in role as Viking settlers. This means that we use our subject knowledge to respond to questions and talk as Vikings would do.  To achieve this we use a medieval-flavoured pattern of speech to lend a realistic feel to our words whilst remaining clear enough for children to understand.  This historical interpreter’s commitment to authenticity is tempered with a teacher’s sense of appropriateness though – so we do not swear (as some reenactors will in school, claiming that this was the way it was!).

Our focus is on the educational experience for the children and what serves them best, so the sessions are interactive and involve everyone.The overall experience for children is then an immersive one where they feel they have truly met a Viking and gained a picture of Viking life. The sessions are interactive and involve all of the children.

The day is fully risk assessed and this can be emailed upon request.  Confirmation of booking is taken as a contract between the school and The Specialists and acceptance of our T & C’s .

Greg and Lisa McCarthy have many years of experience working with children. Greg is a teacher and Lisa a former Occupational Therapist in learning disabilities. Both have DBS  and public liability insurance.

Resources are meticulously researched and authentic to the period.  We will bring real animal hide and animal bone objects.  We understand if anyone is sensitive to this (Lisa is a vegetarian in real life!) but please be prepared.  Our bone replica artefacts really are made of bone – not plastic! 

Gregolf’s berserker bearskin was supplied by a Specialist Furrier and is ethically sourced as a cast off from the British Army, unsuitable for hat-making for the Footguards at Buckingham Palace.  It is an exceptional piece and we understand if you would prefer us not to bring it on a visit.  The learning points associated with it contribute immensely to the Raider session though and children are welcome to touch it.

Viking school visits for education.  We provide a living history and reenactment service as historical interpreters focusing on the  Invaders and Settlers topic.  As re-enactors, we use storytelling/Norse myths, songs, dance, writing using runes and artefacts such as toys and games, brooches, full viking raider kit etc. to bring the excitement of real history to your classroom.

Some of the locations we travel to for our Vikings workshops are:

East-Midlands, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Leamington, Leicester, Hinckley, Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham, Tamworth, Derbyshire, , Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Swadlincote, Nottinghamshire, Derby, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Lutterworth, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, Nuneaton,  Solihull, Warwick, Rugby, West Midlands.

Viking School Trip Ideas

Viking School Trips take educational groups on a historical journey back in time, where students can experience what life was like during the Viking period. From the Raid on Lindisfarne in 793 to the 866 Viking Conquering of York, Viking School Trips will introduce your class to this fascinating era of historical study.

Here at UK School Trips, we have a wide variety of Viking School Trips listed on our website to ensure that you find your perfect educational experience. If you’re looking for a Workshop, Viking Experience Days might be the School Trip experience for you. Viking Experience Days deliver fascinating Workshops directly to your school, allowing your educational group to have a top-quality School Trip experience without having to leave the comfort of their own classroom. Historical Interpretations also offers interactive history workshops – using archaeology and authentic artefacts to bring history to life. And for Day Trip experiences, The Jorvik Group has got you covered. Based in York, the Jorvik Viking Centre provides school groups with the opportunity to discover York’s fascinating Viking legacy. Classes will experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the Viking era – allowing pupils to fully immerse themselves into their historical study. But the Jorvik Viking Centre is not the only Day Trip on offer. The Ancient Technology Centre in Dorset also provides school groups with the opportunity to learn about and experience first-hand the skills and crafts that our Viking ancestors practiced.

So, is a Viking School Trip something you and your class would be interested in? If so, take a look at the fantastic School Trip venues we have listed below.

Viking School Trip Tours & Workshops

English Heritage North East

We aim to promote a greater understanding & enjoyment of the historic environment. We offer learning groups FREE ENTRY to 400 + venues, along with

The Jorvik Group Barley Hall York

Barley Hall (Jorvik Viking Group) is a medieval townhouse – once home to the Lord Mayor of York. Located on the doorstep of York Minster,

DIG An Archaeological Adventure York

Jorvik DIG with four special in-door excavation pits, all based on real-life digs in the city and filled with replica Roman, Viking, Medieval, and Victorian

The Jorvik Group JORVIK Viking Centre York

Discover the Return of the Vikings to York at the newly re-imagined JORVIK Viking Centre.

English Heritage South East

English Heritage should be applauded for their development of the Discovery Visit, which interprets the story of a site, giving a sense of time and

English Heritage Greater London

Iron Age Settlements, Roman Forts, Medieval Abbeys, Tudor Castles, Victorian Mansions and Gardens, and even World War Fortresses – you name it, our exceptional, out-of-the-classroom

English Heritage East of England

English Heritage East Midlands

English Heritage West Midlands

Carymoor Environmental Education Centre Somerset

Carymoor Environmental Trust provides inspirational outdoor learning. Our nature reserve has a wide variety of habitats to explore and our unique location next to a

Ufton Court Educational Trust Activity Centre

Ufton Court provides educational groups with engaging History School Trips and Outdoor Learning Courses. Whether you want to explore the Grade 1 Tudor Manor House,

English Heritage South West

English Heritage North West

Ufton Court Educational Trust Residential School Trips

On an Ufton Court Residential School Trip, educational groups can enjoy historically themed evening banquets, where students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in

English Heritage Yorkshire

ReachOut Educate History Workshops and More for Schools

ReachOut Educate Workshops provide outreach services to schools focusing on the following topics: Tudors & Elizabethans, Vikings, Romans, Kings, Queens & Castles, Story Telling, Anti

Historical Interpretations Hands on History Workshops North of England

Historical Interpretations History Workshops provide “Hands on History” for KS2 classes up to University students. Areas covered are York, Oxford and the North of England.

Viking Experience Days – Primary School Workshops in the Midlands

Viking Experience Days deliver Viking Workshops directly to your school! Your educational group will be provided with a top quality school trip experience without having

Portals To The Past School History Workshops

All our workshops are run by enthusiastic, outgoing specialists, who know how to connect with students at the appropriate level.

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Viking life

Dress up as a Viking child and journey to our Long House deep in the woods. Here you will discover where Vikings came from and what happened to the Vikings of Britain. You’ll travel through time from their first arrival in 789 to their demise in 1066.

• Perlethorpe

On arrival one of our tutors will welcome your group to the Centre and go through the schedule for the day, learning objectives and health and safety issues.

• Guided by the resident Perlethorpe Viking travel back in time to a small Viking settlement!
• Hear tales and learn about Viking life first hand as well as dress up as a Viking. We'll also have a go at trying to complete chores children would be doing 1000 years ago
• We'll separate the class into 3 groups as we take part in some Viking theme activities; flour, jewellery and learning of the feared shield wall
• There will also be the opportunity to examine historical artefacts and create visual timelines.

Key learning outcomes

• Learn about Viking history and main timeline
• Experience life of a Viking child
• Handle historical artefacts 

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Robin Hood and medieval life

Further information, book this activity.

For more information about booking this activity please contact the relevant centre.

Let us build a bespoke visit just for you!

We offer bespoke packages to meet the needs and requirements of your class. Just get in touch with the team.

Some outdoor clothing and footwear is available at the Centre but please ensure children are dressed warmly with suitable waterproof outerwear. Please dress for the weather. Detailed activity sheets will be provided at the centre for group’s self-leading sessions. Please note all activity programmes may vary depending on number of pupils and their needs, length of visit and weather conditions.

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Vikings: Key Stage 2

Viking resources.

These resources are aimed at KS2 pupils studying the Vikings, some are stand-alone resources and others are activities.

The Vikings were some of history’s most famous seafarers, using their ships to explore, raid and trade across their known world. These resources investigate the Vikings through the ships they built, how they were able to navigate them safely, what they would trade and the clothes they wore. The Viking era is generally recorded from around the year 800 until around 1100. In Britain it is often recorded as being from 793 to 1066.

The Vikings used their ships to travel far from Scandinavia. This Map shows the world that the Vikings knew (modern country names included to make the map easier to understand, even though these countries did not exist at the time).

Click on the titles for more information and to download files.

 Ships were incredibly important to the Vikings. They built different ships for different jobs. Two of the most famous were Longships and Knarrs.This investigation aims to help pupils learn about these ships by looking at am image and using these to consider how the Vikings would have used them. There are also background information cards that can be used by teachers or pupils to learn more about ships, shipbuilding and how the Vikings were able to safely navigate these ships across seas and oceans.

The Vikings were not only raiders attacking and stealing goods but also traders, swapping items and even enslaved people to gather goods which were immensely valuable on their return home. This activity investigates what was valuable to the Vikings by considering what a Viking trader would take with them and what they would aim to bring back.

 It is hard to know exactly what Viking clothes looked like, but we can gather some evidence from images and archaeological digs. These resources look at what men and women might have worn in the Viking Era. There is also an activity to try dying fabric in the same way as the Vikings using natural dyes.

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• Murton Park, Murton, York, YO19 5UF

Our Viking village can accommodate groups of up to 65 children to spend a full day learning about the life of a Viking settler under the guidance of the Murton Team. Comprising several houses, workshops and fields, our settlement is the perfect setting for our hands-on activity days and groups will get sole use of it for the day.

After an initial introduction led by a costumed member of our team, the children will be taken to the settlement to meet the rest of the community – and prove to the Lord or Lady of the village that they have the necessary skills to be an asset! Working in groups the children will learn about farming and food in the Viking age, pottery, and household tasks. They will have to take their turns on guard duty and learn how to defend the village from attack.

Learning about the life of a Viking settler…

A full day lasts from 10am (arrival at site) until 3pm (departure)

£18 per child excluding VAT (£21.60 per child including VAT)

Minimum 1 Adult per 10 children. Min 24 pupils, Max. 65 pupils.

£2.60 (Incl. VAT)

NB. Schools pay a 25% deposit on ALL bookings

Creating a new beginning

Experience life as a Viking settler…

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• Ks2 History Lesson Plan What Do We Really Know About The Vikings2

Vikings KS2 lesson plan – What do we really know?

PDF lesson plan

Use this Vikings KS2 lesson plan to explore evidence about the Vikings. Children will think about why historians have such differing views of them.

The Vikings are an old, familiar topic. However, new evidence keeps emerging about these people and their impact, and not just on Britain.

It is a topic children are familiar with. They often bring with them a quite detailed, preexisting knowledge (however accurate or inaccurate). Starting with these preconceptions is a useful way to challenge their knowledge and understanding.

Vikings KS2 learning objectives

• Explore evidence about the Vikings
• Try to reach some conclusions about the impact the Vikings had
• Explore why historians have such differing views of the Vikings

Starter activity

Ask one child to come to the front of the class. Ask them to draw a large labelled diagram of a Viking on the whiteboard (so you can save it and use it later).

Remind them that this is not an art lesson – stick people are perfectly acceptable. Once the Viking is drawn, get the rest of the class to discuss the drawing. Use their suggestions to amend it, until you have a class ‘identikit’ Viking.

Discuss the Viking they have drawn. They will almost certainly have drawn a male warrior, with axe or sword in hand. They probably have a big beard and are wearing sandals and a horned helmet.

Show the children an image like this one . How similar, and how different, are the two images? Conclude by asking why they chose to draw a fighting warrior. This is as opposed to, say, a Viking sailor, farmer, or perhaps even a Viking woman – they did have women in Viking times!

If you prefer, you can carry out a similar activity based around Viking ships. Children will inevitably draw a Viking longboat, or fighting ship, more or less accurately. However, the Vikings had several different types of ship. This included:

• small ferries for crossing fjords
• fishing boats
• trading boats to carry goods

Both of these activities provide ammunition to challenge preconceptions about people of all kinds and beliefs – not just Vikings.

Alf Wilkinson is CPD manager for the Historical Association . He is a former head of history and ICT co-ordinator.

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KS2 History: Introducing Ancient Egypt

BBC Teach > Primary Resources > History KS2 > Non-European Societies

NARRATOR: Hello, future people of the UK. Fancy a trip to Ancient Egypt? Well, to reach us, you will need to go way back in time. 5,000 years, in fact. So, go back before the Vikings, back before the Romans, and keep going back, back, back, until you're at the start of the Bronze Age. And, they're building Stonehenge. Now, head southeast to Egypt, about 2,000 miles away. We're just at the top of Africa. And, well, I'm down there. Yes, you made it. I'm Neffa , by the way, and today is my big day. I'm going to feed the Pharaoh. Anyway, time to get ready. Linen kilt, check. Sandals, check. Eye make-up, check.

Now, let me quickly show you around my home. It's got all the mod cons. An oven makes great bread. A fridge, well it's a hole in the ground, but it keeps things cool. And, this is our toilet. Well, it's a bowl with a chair on top. Um, will you excuse me for a minute? WHISTLES . Okay, time to go to work. I might be only 12, but in Ancient Egypt, everyone's got a job at my age. I think we should walk. I would take the camel, but camels don't arrive in Egypt for another 3,000 years. I'm following in my father's footsteps. Luckily for me, he's not a farmer like most people, because farming is a tough job. Can you imagine digging the fields under the sun all day? We scarcely even get clouds here. As for a nice drop of rain, forget it. We couldn't even live here if it wasn't for the Nile. It provides all our water and our food, because every summer it floods and covers the fields with a special black earth that makes it really easy to grow crops. Which means there is plenty for everyone to eat, especially Pharaohs.

The Nile is also a great way to get around. Not so good for swimming, though. Bad case of crocodiles. In fact, our whole civilisation is clustered around this river, in cities hugging its banks for 300 miles. With this river providing everything we need, we've had time to invent some really cool stuff, like a special type of paper, which we made from papyrus reeds. And, astronomy. We use the sun and stars to predict when this river will flood. And, of course, building with stone. Big time. I expect some of our buildings will be famous for a very long time. These look familiar? Yeah, the pyramids. Well, that's how you see them.

In my day, they don't look like that. They've got smooth sides covered in polished limestone. We build pyramids to bury our Pharaohs in. You do something similar. You've built big stone structures, like Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle, and they've got tombs underneath where you bury your kings and queens. But, our pyramid is over twice the height of Westminster Abbey. Just saying. Anyway, mustn't be late. Can't have the Pharaoh waiting for his food. Well, this is it. This is where I work. It's a temple. My dad is a priest and I am a trainee. Now, to be a priest, you have to learn some special knowledge, like reading and writing, but hieroglyphics. They are really tricky. Take the word cat. You draw a milk jar, and then a feather, and then a bird. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just draw a cat? But, what do I know, I'm just a trainee. As a priest, my job will be to look after Khufu, one of the most famous Pharaohs ever. And, the most important task is to feed him.

So, this is it. Today, I'm finally allowed to go with the high priest to take him his lunch. Not many people are allowed in here. By the way, don't expect to meet him because Khufu has been dead for a few years. In fact, he's a mummy now. When he died, they took out his intestines, his liver, his lungs, and his stomach, and put each of them in a separate jar. They covered them in salt to suck all the water out, wrapped him in cloth, and put him in the biggest pyramid with lots of treasure to take with him into the afterlife.

Anyway, given that he's dead and doesn't have a stomach, you might be wondering why he needs feeding. Well, Pharaohs aren't just kings. They're also Gods, and when they die, they go on a long journey to the heavens. And, the last thing any God wants is to be hungry on the way, so we make sure that Khufu the Great never becomes Khufu the Hungry. In case we ever forget, the door has a magic spell to create food anyway. Having said that, he never eats it. Thanks for coming. Hope you enjoyed it. Quite an impressive place, don't you think? Of course, it won't last forever. After three and a half thousand years, the Romans kind of take over and all this, well, it'll be history.

Video summary

A visit to Ancient Egypt, and life 5000 years ago begins by exploring houses and homes, and contrasting them with our homes today.

The dependence of Ancient Egypt on the River Nile is explored, as are some of the inventions Egypt is famous for.

What happens to pharaohs when they die is investigated, and the role of High Priests is explained.

This clip is from the series Lost Lands.

Teacher Notes

Pupils could compare life in Egypt then and now.

They could study the differences and similarities with their own life and why living near a river was so important to communities.

They could look at how buildings have changed and discuss why Pyramids might have been chosen as a design structure.

They could look at the life and death of Pharaohs, discussing why Gods are so important, and how religion and the way people worship has changed.

They could look at what the Egyptians invented and how it stills affects their lives today.

This clip is relevant for teaching History at Key Stage 2 and Second Level.

More from the series Lost Lands

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Introducing the Shang Dynasty

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Introducing Ancient Sumer

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Introducing the Maya civilisation

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Baghdad in 900AD

Ali lives in the most advanced city in the world: Baghdad. He wants to be a scholar and contribute to the Golden Age of Islam.