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In order to get to the Aztecs & Westward Expansion before our road trip(s) we started at the beginning of America – Early Explorers. I had been planning this unit ever since we built our shed this summer & had a HUGE box leftover. I quickly claimed the box & made us store it in the garage until now.
So here is what we did:
- Sword from cardboard & foil
- Viking helmet (We were planning to make one by putting gold wrapping paper around bowl, but we found we had one in the dress-up clothes! It sells on Amazon with free shipping for $4.88), round shield from (pizza) box & foil
- {FREE} Explorers Lapbook with key point cards & worksheets. (I will be making this free printable, along with some
fun worksheets, for each of the explorers we study.) I am making the lapbook into a timeline – here is our lapbook with our first Explorer. 
- Made a Viking ship - We used our box to create, as close as we could, a kid-size replica of a Viking ship. It was fun to make over Christmas break when Daddy was around to help us too!
- We left our ship brown as the ships were made of wood (We left out the animal fat to make the space between the wood water resistant =-)
- We made it the shape which allowed the Vikings to have the fastest ships of their time.
- We put in retractable oars, just like the Vikings for when the weather was bad.
- We lined the sides with shields like Vikings did for additional protection and storage for their fitting shields.
- We put a dragon on the front of our ship to scare away the towns we went to pillage – Vikings usually had dragons or snakes.
- The kids sat on a trunk that held their belongings for the journey (change of clothes, food, and bucket to hold drinking water or bail out water from the ship.
- We had the ruder at the back for the helmsman to steer the ship away from rocks or icebergs. Pretty cool, huh?
- Activity: We rowed from Greenland to America just like Leif Erikson, ate grapes & call it Vineland (although the Vikings really found blueberries, but they thought they were grapes), and then eager to take home wood & grapes we rowed back to Greenland.
- Watch Veggie Tales: Lyle the Kindly Viking Then we practiced pillaging other lands like the Viking Pirates did. We would arrive at dawn,
yell as we got off our boat, take supplies, burn the buildings (no we didn’t really do that part), and got back in our boat and sailed for home. Did you know they were so feared the King of France gave the Vikings Normandy so they wouldn’t pillage any of the rest of France?- Mapping activity: find key countries on a map: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Greenland (Erik the Red) , North America (Leif Eriksson), and Normandy France. This is in my lapbook pack above.
- After reading Leif Eriksson we wrote down key points in the story. Then Goofy ordered them – 1st, 2nd, Next, Then, Finally.
- Used Explorers Calendar Connection from 1+1+1=1 (using all month to highlight various explorers) – If you have the same calendar I do (Learning Resources) just print them at 90% of the size in print options.
- Viking Maze (Goofy had fun with this. Click to get your own)
- Made Viking Mask (click to go to template we used)
- Made Viking Recipes (I always enjoy cooking food from other countries!)
- Viking Information for kids online
- Videos about Vikings (boats, cities, and more)
- Read LOTS of good books!! Below are my favorites – we read each and every one from our local library and we own: the exact Viking hat, cute Veggies Tales video, and Exploration of North America Coloring book (great resource to use with all of our exploration unit!)
And if you have little ones make sure you check out my {FREE} Early Explorers Preschool Pack so your little one can join in on the fun too! 
MORE Homeschooling History Units see:
![image_thumb41[1]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V4izl8VUhDo/UDquiZqXxaI/AAAAAAAAN04/5CFoOYVKaFM/image_thumb41%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800 "image_thumb41[1]")
If this was helpful, I appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment =-)
Okay, that's probably the coolest thing I've ever seen. What an awesome way to learn! :) Thanks so much for putting together those printables, as well. I've pinned them. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that ship is impressive. Love the printables too. Pinned this post. Thanks, Beth! ~Julie
ReplyDeleteAmazing unit....love love love the boat....as always thank you for another great post and freebies
ReplyDeleteChristina visiting from worldgoneblue.blogspot.com
Awesome!!! What a fun and creative mom you are!! The boat is absolutely great!!
ReplyDeleteWow, this activity looks so awesome. So many great things you can learn when being totally immersed into the subject matter. Hands on, that's how kids learn best. Thanks for the comment BTW!
ReplyDeleteLori @ Cachey Mama’s Classroom
I am in awe. Half my family is Norwegian and my older daughter and I went to Iceland and Norway recently. I have wanted to work on a viking project with her. We have the same viking hat as you, but with long yellow braids attached :) This is an amazing use of cardboard.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for the sweet comments!! I was so excited about this activity - I think it made learning come alive & we had so much FUN!!
ReplyDeleteBeth =-)
Love this! I'm going to feature you on my Facebook page today! Thanks for linking up in Homeschooling on the Cheap! Kelli
ReplyDeleteHey Beth that is one FANTASTIC ship! I think my boys would LOVE ME to the moon and back if I made one for them! Would you please link up with us? http://www.toysinthedryer.com/2012/01/fun-stuff-fridays-7.html
ReplyDeleteThis is AWESOME Beth!!!!!!!!!! What a cool memory for your kids too! Thanks so much for linking up at Thrifty Thursday, have a fantastic weekend!
ReplyDeleteThis is super cool! I'm sure this is a lesson that will stay in your children's memories. :)
ReplyDeleteoh wow that pirate ship is brilliant..I bet you were playing in it as soon as the kids went to bed :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is one awesome ship! Thanks for sharing the great idea!
ReplyDeleteOh, Beth, this is awesome!! What a fun way to learn. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
ReplyDeleteThis is just plain AMAZING! We are getting into vikings soon, I am going to have to come back to this, such great ideas! thanks for sharing them!
ReplyDeleteWow! Nice set up! Thanks for sharing these great ideas... I'll keep this in mind if we do a viking unit in our house. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome lesson plan! I love all the hands on activities. The ship is fabulous! Thanks for linking to AfterSchool.
ReplyDeleteKelly at Little Wonders' Days
I am going to pin this post for the future even though I am sure we will not get such a fabulous ship! Thanks for joining Afterschool!
ReplyDeleteFun! Lots of great activities! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I've bookmarked it for when we do our Viking studies! Thanks for the inspiration (and the printables)!
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Fun Stuff Fridays.
Wow that's a huge box. What a fun way to teach. and very fun activities too.
ReplyDeleteHa- what fun- I love how it turned out ;-) Thank you for sharing your ideas with us on The Sunday Showcase
ReplyDeleteCongrats! This was the #2 most clicked post on my blog link up, Homeschooling on the Cheap! last week! Great job on linking up something people wanted to read. I loved this, a lot!
ReplyDeleteThanks and the new post & link up is live: http://3boysandadog.com/deals/2012/homeschooling-on-the-cheap-01262012/
Kelli
Loved the ship! We just finished our 2 semester unit on Explorers as well!
ReplyDeleteWow, totally cool! I'll have to borrow your idea when we study the Vikings! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of work! Fun however. Thanks for linking it to Monday Madness.
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool, Beth! We've been on a pirate kick around here that's migrating into a love of all things viking... AND we're the family that "hosts" our monthly geography club this April. The theme? Norse countries and others in the Baltic area. The "topic" my kids choose to focus on? Vikings! We'll be making a viking ship to be the centerpiece in the library meeting room (just need to figure out a way to make it collapsible)> :) Thanks for the inspiration. (I pinned it, too.)
ReplyDeleteBoth the lapbook and the Preschool pack look awesome. Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteCameras are a great device which help their owners to record or capture any moment that they wish to and then watch and reminiscent those memories again and again. Like any other technology, cameras have also transformed over the time and every individual is looking to buy a digital camera.
ReplyDeleteteds camera
This is such a cute idea. I have seen many of your other posts on Pinterest. I hope you will stop by and link this ship craft as well as many of your other great posts to Artsy Play Wednesday on Capri + 3.
ReplyDelete: 0 ) Theresa
http://www.multiples-mom.com
I just saw this on Capri + 3 and I pinned it. Should I ever manage to get my hands on a HUGE box, I now have a plan. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteThat is one awesome Viking ship. Nice work on the attention to detail. Probably a good idea to leave out the animal fat. Whilst great for waterproofing probably not so good for the living room floor :)
ReplyDeleteHi, these pages are great and fit perfectly into what we are going to study this week. I'm trying to print them, but I'm receiving an error message that the file is damaged. I'll try again, but if I'm unable to get it would you be willing to email it to me?? I'd be so appreciative!
ReplyDeleteleefamilee5 (at)gmail.com
okay, disregard...I figured it out! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteI completely love your blog. It inspiring and makes me want to relive those early home school days with my tween age boys again. I celebrated women like you who inspire others through sharing their awesome curriculum
ReplyDeletewww.gallagher5.blogspot.com