Vikings at Hay School

It all started when I chatted to Boo at work about how much fun Living History is, and how my friends who run Raven's Wing Vikings go into schools to spend the day with children - this is, in fact, their day job. As Rowan isn't keen on doing 'girly things' with the children, I get called in when the school wants spinning and weaving, and I thoroughly enjoy it.
So Boo mentioned this to the headmistress of Hay School, where her daughter goes to school. The headmistress was organising a History Week for the whole school - and Raven's Wing Vikings (plus me) was booked for two days.
Unlike most schools, where we stay with one year group for the whole day, at Hay we were seeing every class over the two days, from four year olds in reception to eleven year olds - which is quite a spread of abilities!

The first day started well - Rowan and Callum got lost on the way to Hay - there's a new road system round Stretton Sugwas, and non-existant signposting. When they did turn up, no-one seemed to know where we were setting up - could we do it all in the tent? (No, the tent's not that big, and besides it looked as if it was going to pour down). Could we move from classroom to classroom throughout the day? (Not easily, with all the stuff we had to cart around with us). Eventually we got set up in one classroom, and the children were sent to us, which made it much easier. It only rained a bit, in the end, too, so Callum could take groups outside for his arrow talk and to see the tent.
And it was great. I did weaving with everyone over the age of seven - and managed to find other wool related activities for the littlies. Boo came in to help (I lent her my all-purpose peasant dress, which has been everything from Iron Age Celt to medieval) and helped the children to bake bread and make butter. We also had the quern stone out (made a lovely mess on the classroom floor) to grind flour, another group made candles, and then there were the arrows and the swords and shields and axes and chainmail and helmets....

On the second day, Rowan and Callum didn't get lost - but the littlies who were supposed to be our first group did! They were nearly half an hour late! We set up in the infants' area, by the sand pit and the run for the school rabbit and guinea pig (which Callum claimed to have eaten at lunch time - cue lots of indignant little girls, until they went to check and the rabbit was still there). They made so much bread that I had to run up to Spar at lunchtime to get extra flour - in costume, which confused the poor Big Issue seller.
Boo was a bit disappointed that the younger children mostly came to us on the second day. Her daughter is five, and she wanted to see Lola do everything with us - but on Wednesday afternoon she had to shoot off to let the Writing Group into her house, and then she could only come back to school for a short time before she had to go again. Still, she really enjoyed herself with all the other children - and the children all seemed to have a great time, too.
Maybe they'll invite us back....