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Any Ideas For Castle Theme?

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I will be watching this thread with interest as I am planning on having the same theme soon! Thought it would appeal to boys and girls - we seem to have had a lot of themes based on the boys interests this term! Our whole school goes to the pantomime every year and this year it is Cinderella, so I thought we'd read/act out lots of different fairy tales (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White...) Also planning to have a castle role play area with a large dragon on display board, castle walls made from large cardboard boxes and bricks printed on, thrones and dressing up clothes inside. Thought we could make crowns, suits of armour, maybe even some wooden swords (did some wood work the other week and they loved it!). Also lots of small world play (my son has a wooden castle I will be sneaking into school!). Planning to visit a real castle, Caldicot castle is just over the bridge from us and is lovely. Will make castles from construction kits and recycled materials.

That is about as far as I have got, so looking forward to hearing ideas! Although my class this year are really imaginative and once you give them a starting point they just fly with it so who knows where we will end up!

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AnonyMouse_26037 12 Years

AnonyMouse_26037

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You could...

- paint tapestries to decorate the walls

- problem solve how to cross the moat

- have a medieval banquet

- make shields

- design flags for the castle

 

This site has some useful things:

 

www.kidsonthenet.org.uk/castle

 

I did castles for a term last year but have Y1s so might be a bit 'old' for them. I did about different types of castle, defending a castle, castles in other countries, fairy tale castles etc. Loads of castle stories around. I also did some things about dragons.

 

I'll have a look through some of my stuff from last year and see if I can find anything else useful.

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I also did a castle topic r/yr1 2 years ago last half term in summer .We ended up doing an assembly for the parents and the children who had visited a castle performed really well.

 

Once we had been to the castle I asked the children what they wanted to do and have a banquet with swan and pigs head was top of the list!! and we had to make the pigs head so it could be a hat!!

 

so lots of mod roc later we did have a swan and a pig head hat!

we used the mod roc to make splendid goblets...and we did have a banquet with cocktail sausages and wine (blackcurrent)

 

the children dressed up as princesses and knights for the assembly

 

have fun

Tinkerbell

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Sorry a little late replying to this thread but once I start I wont stop - 'castles' has been my favourite theme by far.... here are the list of things we did hope you find some of them useful. I have taken these questions straight from my medium term plan from last year - I hope I have explained them properly.

 

We also visited two very different castles - Dover and Rochester; I dont know where you live but at Dover they actually take the children to 'knight' school and teach them how to dance, be a knight etc. We also had a 'knight'come to school to visit who taught them all archery - which they loved and helped me get their adding ELG's!!! We then went to the cinema to watch 'How to Train a Dragon' and the videos for Frog Prince and of course Shrek - one of my boys was convinced every castle needed an ogre!

 

Why do you think castles were built? Out of what? Who lived in them? Can you draw me a picture of what you think a castle looks like? (we did this activity at the end too for assessment purposes)

What should we include in our role play area?

What parts are important to have in a castle? Can you label the parts of a castle?

Can you build a castle out of these blocks?

Can you build a drawbridge for the lord of the castle?

Can you build a moat in the water tray?

Can you make a castle from sand in the sand tray?

Can you cut out some battlements from a cardboard box?

Can you make a portcullis from straws?

Who do you think would live in a castle? Can you draw/paint them?

Can you design and make a throne for the role play area?

Can you think about your house? What is in your house that would not have been in a castle? What do you think they did instead?

Lord Roddy would like you to make him a keep to keep him safe – what would the best material be?

Can you create a castle using shapes? Can you describe your picture?

Can you write a list of jobs the lady in waiting must do if the king were away?

Can you write a letter to the King? And seal it in wax?

Can you design a tapestry and weave it?

Castles had to be very self sufficient can you plant some seeds to produce food? What conditions do we need?

Can you design and make a crown for the king/queen?

Can you make a lady in waiting that walks around the castle?

Can you design a stain glass window for the Chapel?

Can you design and make a clay pot to put your cooking oil in?

Can you draw and write about your trip to Dover Castle?

Food was heavily spiced to add variety – can you describe the way these different spices smell?

Which is the best thing to clean the queens clothes with?

Can you sew a pouch to collect your coins in for the knight? (these were called plunder pouches and are dead easy to make)

Can you make some bunting and banners for the castle?

Can you tell me who the Queen of England is?

Can you design me a stamp on the ICT program 2 simple? (there is actually a 'design a stamp' bit on 2publish!!)

Can you draw your own family tree?

Can you make jewellery for the king from pasta?

Can you describe this medieval music? Can you record how it makes you feel on paper?

Can you design a coat of arms?

Can you sort these materials according to their properties?

Can you name some princesses/princes?

Can you design a dress/tunic?

Can you write an alternative ending to a princess story?

Can you create a prince/princess dance??

Can you act out the story of a princess?

Can you describe what your frog would turn into if you kissed it!?

Can you make an origami jumping frog?

Can you write a speech bubble for one of the characters?

Can you retell the story by creating a story board?

if you were a prince/princess what would you have in your pocket and why?

Can you sew a pocket?

Can you label the parts of a knight?

Can you sequence the steps to become a knight?

Can you describe the jobs a knight has to do?

Can you make a set of armour for Lord Roddy?

Can you make bunting for the jousting tournament?

Can you joust? Are you able to defeat your apponent?

Can you make a bow and arrow?

Can you make a jousting tent?

Can you design and make a shield and flag for your knight?

Can you design and make a lance/sword for your knight?

Can you design a cover for your horse for the tournament?

Can you make chainmail for your knight?

Can you describe how a knight may feel before a joust?

Can you write the rules for jousting?

Can you control the remote control jousters?

Can you describe the journey the knight must take using positional language?

Can you write your own Knights Code?

Who would you put around the round table, why?

Can you invent a spell for Merlin?

Can you make a potion for merlin?

Can you identify the different ways to attack a castle?

Herbs were very popular for medicine – can you help me plant these herbs?

Can you make a catapult?

Can you make some wooden shields to protect your castle?

Can you describe a day in the life of a peasant working in the castle?

Can you make a siege tower/ladder?

Which is the best material to make a battering ram?

Why do we give money to people who are less fortunate than us?

Who was Robin Hood – can you design a wanted poster?

Can you make a character mobile?

Can you make a spit roast for the pig?

Can you make a moving jester?

Can you write down your favourite jokes?

Can you make a joke book?

Can you decorate a goblet?

Can you make up a tune on the rebec (violin)?

Can you practise your calligraphy?

 

We also did a lot of cooking - me made a medieval fruit salad (figs and dates and stuff) we made gingerbread shields and we designed our own coat of arms on them with icing, tostee and gooseberry fool.

 

We also had a horse come to visit and we looked after it for a day, just like a page would including clearing up the poo!!! and the remote jousters came from Argos! We also bought inflatable jouster outfits from Argos which include a horse and a lance - my face still aches from laughing - we set up a tent and a washing line for them to run next too and we celebrated with our golden goblets - we had bought them in clear plastic from Asda and sprayed them gold!! We made the shields from silver food platters.

 

The books we used were Knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood, Princess Smartypants, and loads of non fiction. However I had 11 boys and 3 girls who were not really into the princess thing so you may want to do more on that if you are lucky enough to have girlie girls!!

 

To finish off we had a banquet which all of the parents came to and my Head came and knighted each one of the children in turn.

 

HAVE FUN! I cant wait to do it again!!!

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