In Case You Missed it: Cyber Safety for Teens

Photo: keepschoolsafe.org 

This is not my typical blog post-but I feel that recently a situation that occurred in my personal life should be brought to light and addressed.

A few weeks ago my 13 year old daughter came to me  upset that a on-again-off-again friend (we will call her "Susan" ) had given a boy she knew named "Timmy" her cell phone number. (My daughter had never heard of  this  boy), and was upset and scared because he knew her name and where she lived. "Susan" said she had met him online, and he wanted to talk with & meet my daughter.

I took her phone and looked at the texts. "Timmy"  had texted her dozens of times, ignoring all of her requests to stop.

Something seemed off about the language and vocabulary. Even the name, "Timmy" didn't seem right. (How many 13 year old boys call themselves "Timmy"?)

He told her she was beautiful and he really liked her-to which she replied "You don't even know me-and I sure as h*ll don't want to know you-you f*cking a**hole!!" (She is definitely her mother's daughter...)

He asked her several times to send him a picture of her face...(to which she refused) and I got even more irritated. I was a little upset that my daughter did not come to me sooner, and instead engaged in conversation, although cautious in an attempt to get information out of "Timmy" to see what she could find out about him to report him. (Her father is a retired police officer, so I didn't go too hard on her!)

He texted again as I was looking at the conversation & I dialed the number back. No answer. Just an automated "The person you are trying to reach is not taking calls..." recording. It would not let me leave a message. I texted in capital letters: THIS IS LAUREN'S MOM. I OWN THIS PHONE. REMOVE THIS NUMBER FROM YOUR PHONE BOOK IMMEDIATELY.

The texting stopped. But I had already looked the number up online and it came back to a land line in the south. The number was registered to a 23 year old man. I immediately looked him up on the sex offender's registry and came up with nothing.

I called Susan's mother, and left a message as to what I wanted to talk with her about & that it was urgent. (She returned my call 2 days later.) Meanwhile, I called the guidance counselor at school (left message) and the police department who said the whole event sounded very odd, my daughter was right to come to them, and they would check it out.

When I finally spoke with Susan's mother, she claimed that Susan made the whole thing up to "prank" her friends. When I asked about the phone number being registered to a land line in the south, she said that Susan purchased "temporary" phone numbers and used them to "trick" people. (??) Then she tried to tell me that Susan made whole thing up because my daughter and another girl did something mean to her.

Inwardly I had this conversation:  "You're kidding. No self-responsibility? This is the way we act when someone does something mean to us? and you allow this?"

I was not buying any of it. Somebody was not being truthful.  (This is the same mother that dropped my daughter off 3 hours late last spring from getting ice cream, with not as much as an apology or explanation- dropped her off in the driveway and drove off-so I have already had my radar on.)

"And you are aware, that Susan purchases fake phone numbers, and makes up imaginary boyfriends, and stalks/harasses her friends this way and you allow her to be online anyway? Is purchasing someone else's phone number even legal?", I asked (out loud), not really expecting to get an answer. I told her that my daughter was scared and that I had filled out a police report when she [Susan's mom] did not get back to me right away, so they would be calling her. I'm not sure if she was embarrassed or just didn't care, but her acknowledgement was somewhat apathetic.

Later, I asked my daughter what her and "Kelly" (not her real name) were arguing with Susan about-she looked at me confused. They said they were not arguing, they were concerned for her that she was in danger from meeting guys on the Internet. (Apparently she has often said that she meets guys on the Internet.)

In school the next day, Susan maintained that "Timmy" was real, and asked my daughter, "why did you tell your mom? You got me in trouble! My mom closed my Instagram account..." My daughter pointed out that she got herself in trouble.

A few days later, Susan wrote a letter, (6 pages long) telling my daughter that she made it up and was so sorry. She placed a ring and some feather earrings in the envelope. My daughter said she tried to give them back, but Susan wold not take them. My daughter has kept her distance anyway.

This week Susan is telling the kids that she does drugs.

I don't know if  "Timmy" is real, or if Susan is lying to her mother. I don't know if she does drugs or not. But I do know one thing: this girl is crying out for help. At this point, she not permitted at my house, nor is my daughter permitted at hers. (and I didn't have to lay down that law to my daughter-she set that boundary herself.)

I feel concerned about the atmosphere that Susan has grown/is growing up in, however I cannot condone dishonesty, self-destructive behavior and pretending to be something you are not. These are all the opposite of what I have taught my children and my students. They go against everything that our young people should be demonstrating by this age. And if my daughter was demonstrating these characteristics in this manner, and another parent knew about it, I would hope that she would bring it to my attention.

This child needs the right kind of attention and care that neither me nor my daughter, (nor "Timmy"-real or imaginary-) can give her. For me to attempt would place me in a situation way over my head and out of my areas of expertise. For my daughter to continue this shaky interaction would be condoning the lies and/or the risk behaviors. My daughter has recognized and verbalized this to me, which shows that she is thinking clearly for now.

If Susan is picking up that many guys online at 13-there is a huge problem-and if she is going to this extreme length to create an elaborate lie and make her life sound more interesting than she thinks her peers will perceive it-there is STILL a huge problem. Either way, Susan is the one who loses. I wish I could do more, but I'm afraid I cannot.

I urge you as parents and an educators: by all means, give your kids responsibility & a bit of growing room, but do NOT set them lose on the Internet by themselves until you are certain of their maturity level, their level of self-control, and their ability to foster typical social interactions & relationships. Know who their friends are-and know who they are talking to online. Once they have one social account, they just set up a bunch more-with fake names so that if they get caught doing something they shouldn't be-they just use their alternate accounts.

Give them down time-unplugged every day. (My daughter's phone goes in a drawer from the time she comes home until homework, dinner, after dinner cleanup, the next day's lunch is made and showers are done.) Teach them to be true to themselves and their creative genius-and that there is no reason to be in any kind of a jealous or imaginary "competition" with a peer.

Help them get in touch with their intuition-and that if something does not feel right-to listen to that feeling-not a friend or classmate who consistently exercises poor judgement.

We want to hear from you: 

What would drive a teen to repeatedly go out of their way to make up an elaborate lie? 

Is it merely to make their life seem more interesting or is there a deeper problem? 

Do you think there was something else I could or should have done?

IN addition, if you have or know of any other resources for 'tweens or teens-especially girls-please let us know what it is.


Please leave your insights and resources in the comments area below.



Related Links:


New Jersey Senator: New Internet Safety Program Needed

NSTeens: Making Safer Online Choices

Teenangels

Wired Safety

Rae Cole Girls

7 Ways to be an Emotionally Attentive parent, Caregiver or Teacher

Roots of Action



Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com 

Chinese New Year Lantern Craft

The 2013 celebration of Chinese New Year starts on February 10. To make learning about this traditional Chinese holiday hands-on, I dreamed up a fun craft to make with my son.

Before we started it, though, my son read a great story that taught him LOADS about Chinese New Year, like:

• The holiday uses a different calendar based on the moon.
• Tangerines are considered good luck.
• To disguise themselves from bad spirits, the Chinese wear new clothes during the celebration.
• There's a big parade with dragons, and fireworks to scare off the bad spirits for the coming year.

This book was perfect for my son. It's fiction chocked full of great non-fiction facts about Chinese culture and beliefs. And it's by Marc Brown, beloved author of the Arthur books. This one just so happens to feature the lovable character Buster!

Since the 15-day Chinese New Year celebration ends with the lantern festival, I thought it'd be fun to make our own version of the amazing red lanterns that are so popular.

Supplies

2 pieces of bright red cardstock (Marc Brown's book taught us that red brings good luck.)

2 plastic red disposable cups

gold ribbon

gold fringe

paper punch

low-temp glue gun

How We Made It

1. Cut 10 strips (1 1/2- by 8 1/2-inches) of red paper. Punch holes in the ends of the strips about a 1/2 inch up from the ends with a hole punch. Make sure the holes are in the same places on all the strips.

2. Trim the cups down to 1/2-inch tall. You need two shallow cup to serve as the top and bottom of the lantern.

3. Poke a small hole in the center of both cups (I did this for my son and used a small Exacto knife).

4. Cut a long strip of gold ribbon. Tie a knot close to one end. Thread the cup onto the ribbon, with the sides of the cup pointing away from the knot.

5. Now thread one end of the stack of strips onto the ribbon.

6. Then thread the other end of the strips onto the ribbon. It will form a natural arch.

7. Add the other cup to the ribbon. Make sure it is inverted opposite of the other cup. Make a loop and tie and knot at the top.

8. Now separate the strips of paper so they form a red globe shape. (My son loved the transformation from flat paper to a spherical shape!)

9. Glue fringe to the bottom cup with a low-temp glue gun. Add a ring of gold ribbon around the top cup.

10. Enjoy your lantern! We hope it brings you good luck.

For more great books about China and Chinese New Year, check out a great reading list featured on No Time for Flashcards.

Forgetting What You Know (How to Start Thinking & Creating)

Photo: Jacob Barnett, You Tube

Forgetting what we know is essential to learning by, thinking and creating.

Educators and Parents: For a few minutes today, forget everything you know. Stop learning & just watch, think & create with this amazing young man!

Jacob Barnett is an American mathematician and child prodigy. At 8 years old, Jacob began sneaking into the back of college lectures at IUPUI. After being diagnosed with autism at the age of two and placed in his school’s special ed. program, Jacob’s teachers and doctors were astonished to find that he was able to teach calculus to college students.

Jacob is also CEO and founder of Wheel LLC, a business he started in his mom’s garage, and is in the process of writing a book to help end “math phobia” in his generation.

Jacob’s favorite pastime is playing basketball with the kids at his charity, Jacob’s Place. It is a place where kids with autism are inspired every day to be their true authentic selves…just like Jacob.

In the TEDxTeens video below, Jacob urges us to: "Stop Learning & Start thinking & Creating"

I think the bigger lesson to be learned for parents & educators is this: when that "difficult" or "non-compliant" student is not communicating or jumping through our educational/social hoops, they just might be thinking and creating beyond our perception. 

I am so inspired right now to forget everything I know (and start thinking & creating...)


Jacob Barnett TEDxTeen talk





Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com 




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Food Chain War [printable card game]

I've seen loads of great food chain activities online. What possessed me to make my own? Well, truthfully, I've been itching to make some sort of war card game for ages. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

To set the stage for our activity, we read a few books.

The Magic School Bus book provides great detail (and who doesn't love Ms. Frizzle?!?). Snap!is a wonderfully simple picture book that reminded me of "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." It would be perfect for younger kids.

When we were finished, it was time to play. (Download a 5-page PDF with the game cards here.)

I dealt the entire deck of cards to my son and I. Then we each turned over one of the cards in our deck. The player with higher card in the food chain takes both cards. When the whole deck has been gone through, the player with the most number of cards wins.

There are four types of cards in the deck: herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, and plant. Of course, remind your child that many of these animals live in different habitats, so this is just pretend. When players turn over the same type of card, a duel may be necessary, whereby additional cards are turned over. See all the scenarios below.

Either decide which animal is more fierce or draw two more cards to break the "tie."

Turn over two more cards to see which player wins the round.

The player with the herbivore card wins the round and takes both cards.

The player with the carnivore/omnivore card wins the round and takes both cards.

Want a great chapter book to pair with this activity? Why not get another dose of Ms. Frizzle? (My son's reading this now.)

Yoga for Youth Athletes

Photo: Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins
http://news.menshealth.com/ 

Have you ever taught Yoga to high school athletes?

I saw this question last week on a Linked In message board:

I have a teaching opportunity in a few weeks to work with a high school's varsity baseball/ football teams. There will be 30 boys who have never done yoga. Unfortunately, I'll be teaching them on the football field without mats. Have you ever taught a group like this before? Do you have any advice?

~Erin H. 



I really enjoy working with youth athletes, as much as I enjoy working with children with physical and cognitive learning challenges. I find that many teens are very curious about yoga -especially relaxation & stress management-and will ask some really good questions once they feel comfortable with you. 

I have put together a packet of all the professional and Olympic athletes who use yoga as a part of their regular training (You can find more lists and articles online.) I use this to start a conversation about how yoga can be a great complimentary discipline, what they would like to learn and how they would like to improve in their sport as well as individually.  

First, I start with the body: basic skeletal and muscular anatomy. They have to understand how they are built, where their movements come from and how to project and conserve their energy in a balanced & effective manner. I use simple, anatomy & "sport-related" language and focus on both conditioning the large muscle groups they use in their sport as well as strengthening those underused muscles. (The "Anatomy Coloring Book" is an excellent resource for this, and a good place to start. I photocopy the pages and have them color them in their free time.Its an easy way to learn the basics of anatomy.Many times I am asked for "extra" copies so they can color them in again.) 

I remind them often that the skeletal system is for support and the muscular system is for movement. I encourage them to move deliberately and in a controlled manner, holding postures for several slow breaths and relaxing for several breaths before the next posture. This is not just in yoga, but in all they do: walking up steps, opening lockers, getting a drink from the fountain, brushing teeth, etc. I show them how to find counter-movements for stretching larger muscles as well as the "hidden" muscles closer to the skeleton.

I target balancing postures that will help them improve their focus as well as build core awareness & strength and incorporate popular music (that they like) to do some active "Power" sets, after they warm up-about midway through the class. 

As they start to understand and become more aware of how they move, we work on how they would like to move: emphasizing coordination of breath with the movement they are doing will help them become more fluid, purposeful and helps reduce/prevent injuries. They quickly learn that this new awareness also reduces stress and improves their concentration. 

Partner postures help with awareness of where other teammates and opponents are & the "teamwork" part of sports. 

When planning a class, I select & relate each of the postures & sets to the sport and teach them the anatomy of the specific movements and how postures and breathing will help them with range of motion, speed and agility. 

Just as in a non-athlete yoga class, we finish up with relaxation. I take them through a semi-guided imagery of tuning in to their bodies, and then through their next game, and have them "play the tape" slowly in their mind's eye, so it reflects the outcome they would like to see. 

In addition,  they learn a technique to release that outcome so they don't become overly attached to it. (I use an imagery of "Cutting Ribbons" to help them detach from a specific outcome and just focus on playing their best and being the best sportsman/woman they can.) 

This age group likes to be approached as adults-so I give them something to think about too-a character building activity-random act of kindness, etc. each week in addition to a conditioning and restorative set.

Don't be afraid to have fun with them! A sport or yoga-themed movement game (Yoga Twister) once and a while will break it up a bit and keep it interesting. 

As far as the mats, it may be more of a challenge conducting a class outside on the grass, but as long as its not wet/muddy/cold it should be okay. Maybe the coach is unclear on your objectives, so be sure to put everything on paper to avoid misunderstandings. You could also suggest the team members supply their own mat if it becomes a problem. (The mats do get a little ragged from outdoor use though. Be sure to let them know that!)

Is there an alternate place to do the class in the event of bad weather? (Gymnasium or Library?) Alternating locations is also a good way to train the body (and mind) to be adaptable to a variety of situations and environments, further supporting "flexibility".

Good Luck! 

~Barbara




Further Reading:


Why Every Athlete Should Do Yoga

Yoga for Hockey Players

Modern Athletes Realizing Yoga's Benefits

Dance-Cheer-Yoga! 

Kareem Abdul Jabbar Fit After 50: Staying Flexible with Yoga



Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com 

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Calming Technique: Deep Pressure

Photo: innovativecaremodels.com 

How our bodies feel is directly affected by what our senses pick up from the environment. Some of us are more "tuned in" to our outer and inner environments than others.

The most calming of sensory inputs, which can last in the nervous system for up to a couple of hours, or even longer, dependent on the intensity  is deep pressure input.  Simply defined, deep touch pressure is the type of (tactile) surface pressure on the body in most types of firm touching, holding, hugging, or swaddling. 

(Light touch pressure is a more superficial touch on the skin: tickling, light touching or brushing, or moving just the hairs on the skin. Occupational therapists have observed that a very light touch alerts the nervous system, but deep pressure on skin, muscles and joints is relaxing and calming.)

In the elementary or middle school classroom, deep pressure activities can be highly effective for improving concentration, cooperation and overall receptivity of the material being taught, or for those times when they become worked up, anxious or have meltdowns.(This is one reason that phys-ed and recess programs need to be re-instated or expanded.)

As an Mind-Body Educator, one of my objectives is to show other educators and parents how to incorporate these techniques into everyday routines. There are a variety of ways to satisfy this sensory need:

• Weight bearing yoga postures: (especially, plank, chair, mountain, tree, forward bends, downward dog, warrior III, triangle, half-moon)
• Weighted Lap Blankets
• Frequent Movement Breaks
• Self-Massage
• The 4 B's

This is not only effective for the students with sensory or cognitive challenges, but all children. The one question that is often asked, is "How much pressure do I give?"

Below I have included links to three articles that explain this sensory need a bit more as well as ways to address it and how much pressure to use:




Deep Touch Pressure Helps Kids Concentrate & Be Calm (Life Skills 4 Kids)

Calming Effects of Deep Touch Pressure in Patients with Autistic Disorder, College Students, and Animals  (Temple Grandin, PhD )

Proprioceptive Dysfunction (SensoryProcessingDisorder.com)


Please feel free to share these resources with others. IF you have another good resource, please leave us a link in the comments below.


Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com  




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Missing Punctuation Board Game [printable]

It's not exactly a secret; the English language is confusing. If I'm saying this after spending the last 12 years writing professionally, I can only imagine what it's like for a second grader! To help my son understand what punctuation to use when, I grabbed an amazing book and created a fun board game for us to play and practice.

Before we got our game faces on, we read Elsa Knight Bruno's book Punctuation Celebration. This book is to kids what the AP style guide is to grown-up journalists (only WAY more whimsical). This is the most interesting reference book I've ever read!

The book explains in rhyming text how 12 pieces of punctuation are used. The explanations are simple and examples are included. Illustrations are playful (Is there anything more cute than a smiling semicolon jumping rope?), making the weighty topic less intimidating. Whether your child is showing a natural talent or interest in writing or not, this book is worthy of checking out from the public library or adding it to your own shelves at home!

Once we were done reading, I got out the Missing Punctuation board game I'd made.

You can download a PDF of the 2-page game board and game cards here. You'll need to tape the game board together and cut out the cards. Find a few buttons, magnets, LEGO minifigures, or anything else that's small to use as game pieces (each player needs one to mark their progress moving around the board). NOTE: I created the game for two players. If there are more, you may need to make additional game cards.

The game cards each contain a sentence or two with missing punctuation. It's up to the player to figure out which one is missing among the following:

Period.

Exclamation Point.

Question Mark.

Comma.

Apostrophe.

Quotation Marks.

Colon.

Semicolon

Parentheses.

Hyphen.

Once they have figured out what punctuation is absent, they move their game piece to the space where that punctuation occurs on the game board. NOTE: You may need to remind players of the difference between an apostrophe and a comma. Play alternates between players.

I gave my son loads of hints (e.g. for quotation marks, I asked, "Is someone talking?" and for parentheses, I posed the question, "Is there any information in the sentence that could be removed and it would still make sense?"). We referred to Bruno's book a lot and it was slow-going but my son had lots of fun and when he got a card with the final answer of exclamation point and won the game, he was elated!

"Can we play again sometime?" I asked.

"You bet!" he answered enthusiastically.

Here are the answers:

"I would like a turn," said John.   Quotation Marks

"Pass the ball," yelled the coach.   Quotation Marks

"Thirty-six," answered Julie.   Quotation Marks

"Write your name on the paper,"said the teacher.   Quotation Marks

Are you okay?   Question Mark

Do you want a cookie?   Question Mark

Dogs are furry.    Period

Ethan is sad.   Period

His t-shirt was red.   Hyphen

I am very thirsty; I need a drink of water.   Semicolon (or Period)

I can't find my hat, coat, or mittens.   Commas

I can't swim.   Apostrophe

I don't care.   Apostrophe

I have a dog, cat, and hamster.   Commas

I like blue.   Period

I went to sleep at 8:35.   Colon

If I was older, I could drive.   Comma

I'm allergic to nuts; they make me sick.   Semicolon (or Period)

In my bag are three things: a pen, pencil, and eraser.   Colon

It is cold outside; I'm shivering.   Semicolon (or Period)

It was a part-time job.   Hyphen

Katie's nose is running.   Apostrophe

My cousins are leaving; I am sad.   Semicolon (or Period)

My sister wants four things: a doll, book, crayons, and a dress.   Colon

My umbrella is broken.   Period (or Exclamation Point)

One-fourth of the pie is gone.   Hyphen

OUCH!   Exclamation Point

Pickles (that I hate) are too sour.   Parentheses

Somebody help me!   Exclamation Point

The doctor took x-rays of my finger.   Hyphen

The milk (that was sour) spilled all over.   Parentheses

The radio (that was too loud) was playing my favorite song.   Parentheses

The school is on fire!   Exclamation Point

These cupcakes (from the bakery) are yummy!   Parentheses

This is my dad's hammer.   Apostrophe

Watch out!   Exclamation Point

We didn't eat lunch until 1:00 p.m.   Colon

What's your favorite color?   Question Mark

Where were you?   Question Mark

While I was sleeping, the tooth fairy came.   Comma

Everyday Arrays Multiplication Hunt

My son has been bringing home loads of math worksheets quizzing him on arrays. <<YAWN>> After about the third one with a matrix of dots, I thought, "There has gotto be a more fun way to practice these."

The epiphany struck when I was folding laundry; The holes on the basket were an array!! Suddenly an idea was born.

I grabbed the camera and walked the house in search of everyday arrays. Turns out, they're everywhere! I snapped 26 pictures, which I printed out wallet-sized.

Need help finding some arrays? Look at your windows, in the kitchen, anything with buttons and knobs,
and check your child's toys (many board games have an array-like grid).

Once I cut them out, I calculated the multiplication problem associated with each, stuck a sticky note with the answer to the picture and when they were all "solved," ran around and affixed the sticky notes to the objects throughout the house.

When my son came home from school, he saw the notes everywhere and immediately thought we were doing our math post-it note scavenger hunt. When I told him it was a newkind of hunt, he was bubbling over with excitement.

I handed him a pencil and the stack of pictures. I was stunned when he immediately said, "Arrays!"

I asked him to write the answer to these multiplication problems on the back of each picture. He whipped through all the cards with relative ease, only needing help on 7 x 6 and 8 x 8. For those, I gave him a multiplication chart for help.

With the cards in hand, he darted through the house finding the objects in the pictures and comparing the number on the sticky note with his answer. His excitement with each right answer grew, and it wasn't long before his hoots and howls of pride turned into various touchdown dances and even the "Tim Tebow!"

This activity proved that arrays really CAN be fun!

Racin' Across the United States [a Geography game]

Want a clever way to help your child learn the 50 states and their whereabouts? This game is perfect!

Before my son and I started playing though, we did some reading. Lynne Cheney's book accompanied this activity perfectly. The book was inspired by the author imagining what a family trip across the United States would be like and even features a fold-out map charting the course for anyone adventuresome enough to travel all 50 states in one big road trip. The pages that follow have details about each of the states' history, fun facts, famous former inhabitants, state flowers/bird, etc.

Robin Preiss Glasser's illustrations in Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America are playful and the pages are littered with tons of interesting nuggets of information. Since we didn't have time to read the whole book, my son choose a few of his favorite states to read up on. You could spend hours with this book!

Once we put the book away, I got out two maps I'd printed off the internet (I got ours from Make and Takes here). NOTE: To make the game more challenging, find a map without the states' names.

With a map in front of each of us, I grabbed two bowls that contained slips of paper printed with each state's name. Each of us would draw a slip of paper from our bowl and color the state it identified. (Download a 2-page PDF of the state names here. Remember to print a copy for EACH player.)

The winner of our "Racin' Across the United States" game was the first player to get states colored in a path from one coast to the other or from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean (or vice versa). It doesn't matter which states you "visited" along the way or in what order, so long as the states touched one another. Unfortunately, drawing Hawaii and Alaska from the bowl isn't much help.

NOTE: Make sure all players are drawing the states out of their bowls at the same time, so that each is "visiting" the same number of states during the game.

My son narrowly beat me (all I needed was Arkansas!). He enthusiastically shared the states he'd traveled on his virtually coast-to-coast vacation, while I drew a line from one to the next. Geography CAN be so fun!

Viking Shield [upcycled history craft]

Cheap fun. I love it. And when I tally the expenses for this history craft, they're nominal. But the amount of fun that has resulted is priceless.

When my oldest son and I read our second book in the "Your Life as ..." series by Thomas Kingsley Troupe, I immediately thought of a great craft extension to our lesson on Vikings. But enough about me. 

Let me tell you about this amazing book: Your Life as an Explorer on a Viking Ship. Just like our last experience with one of Troupe's storytelling adventures (see the book recommendation and Colonial crafts we made here), we were transported back in time as we imagined the life of 11-year old Leif Grimmson, son of Grimr the Grouch, in the year 812, as he left his family farm in Denmark to explore with the Vikings.

The book intertwines the story of Leif's adventure with loads of interesting historical facts. A few of the things we learned included:

• Most Vikings were farmers.
• The parts of a boat: stern, oars, oar ports, hull, prow, sail, and mast.
• Vikings played a game that is believed to be similar to chess, called Hnefatafl.
• Shields kept Vikings safe in battle. Most were made of pinewood.

Now it was time to make our own version of a Viking shield!!

Supply List (for one shield)

Large piece of cardboard

Empty, clean plastic gallon-size milk jug

Duck tape (the original grey stuff)

Paint (optional)

Nailhead-looking apparel findings (we got ours in the button aisle) (optional)

Glue gun

Thanks to all the packaging from holiday gifts, we had a surplus of corrugated cardboard. I snagged a few pieces before it went out to the curb with the week's recyclables. We used a round pizza pan to trace the circle and then I used an Exacto craft knife to cut the circle out.

Now I queried "Viking Shield" on Google images. My son and I looked at all the pictures on my computer and he decided on a design. With a large cross made with duck tape, the shield instantly had a wood-and-metal look. 

At the time, he had no interest in painting the shield so, we ran another length of duck tape along the shield's edge, clipping it every inch or so to enable it to fold around the circular shape of the shield easily. Don't worry if you don't get the tape to lay flat; that adds to the rustic look!

Next, he used the low-temp glue gun to attach some apparel findings that resembled nail heads.

Now all that was left to do was add a handle. 

I used the Exacto craft knife to cut out the handle of a plastic milk jug. He used the low-temp glue gun to attach it to the back of the shield.

When little brother came home from preschool, he immediately asked if I'd make him a shield. For his, I masked off two areas with blue painters tape and brushed on acrylic craft paint. Then I added woodgrain with a brown fine point Sharpie. Lastly, I glued on a clean, empty single-serve applesauce cup covered in duck tape to the center.

Now, of course, our oldest saw this and suddenly wanted his shield painted, so out came the paints again! The red paint looks great. I love the final result!

And, while our boys certainly aren't pillaging any villages with their new "armor," the shields have worked wonders blocking the fire of Nerf gun darts!