Kingdom Crusades, kids stuff II

["Rowanwald Central" <rownwald@gte.net>]

Poster: "Rowanwald Central" <rownwald@gte.net>

More ideas (didn't want my message to be toooo long). Keep in mind that
while some kits are more cost or prep-time intensive, they are made at your
leisure in advance and can be done with help from others, "I can't sew, but
I'll spring for the materials" "I'm tired of sewing, but I have all these
largish scraps" "If you make it, the Shire/Barony/Canton will pay for the
materials"....

Mugs - hot beverage cups made out of paper (the kind with the two little
handles that fold out) can be covered with fabric scraps (pre-cut) and
decorated with markers or fabric glue/gems, string. Yarn wrapped around the
two handles serves to hold them together and reinforce their strength. A
yarn loop off of the handle makes it possible to hang the "mug" from their
belts. The mugs will probably not last beyond the event - but that is less
important than the feeling of accomplishment and "fitting in" that the
project will engender.

Dyeing project (needs warm day or hot Hall to dry the finished projects):
use squirt bottle (the type found in hair-dye boxes and craft stores) to
hold a dye made of unflavored Kool-Aid. Outline design with fabric glue or
other substance that eliminates fiber bleed-through. Use the dye to fill in
the design area with color. Items that can be dyed: pouches, cheap muslin
tabards, napkins, "vivat" ribbons, favors, tippets...etc. One idea is to
create tabards and  a stencil for a Crusaders Cross, and then allow the
children to "take up the Crusade".

Story Sticks - Materials: Wide tongue depressors, markers, rubber bands (or
pouches). The children can have their storysticks pre-made for them, or
make them themselves, depending on the target age. Using a list of words
such as knight, king, sword, castle, ogre, bandit, forest... write one word
on each stick (on the end, to avoid sticky-finger syndrome). Each set of
sticks should have a healthy blend of words, atleast 12, better at 20. The
children can then use any method to select a small number of sticks
(tossing their collection into the air and using only the ones that land
face-up, having other children each draw a face-down stick and giving the
selected one back, closing eyes and grabbing four or five sticks). Each
child takes turns creating a story using the selected words - a bardic
challenge. The rubber bands or pouches are to keep their sticks from
getting scattered and lost.

Sticks and stones - materials: small sticks (available right now at the
dollar tree in bags of 300) and "stones" (hard candy or some other storable
item). Each child should get a kit that contains around 12 sticks and five
or so stones. These are so they can teach the game later. The game requires
two or more players (best with three). The non-guessers hide up to three
sticks in their hands, which they hold infront of them. The guesser then
guesses the TOTAL number of sticks being held by the players. If the
guesser is correct, they collect one "stone" from each player. It was a
surprisingly popular game at Crusades.

Fans - materials: poster paper (precut) or paper plates, glue, tongue
depressors, decorating materials. Use two tongue depressors to create a
handle for the fan (sandwich the paper between the ends of the depressors),
then decorate the fan surface. Hmmm... wrapping the handles with yarn would
be easy - and would create a "loop" to hand the fan from a belt....

Promissory Scroll Protectors - decorate manila file folders and give them
to the Royals (or Baron/ess) to hold/protect the promissories that are
awarded. Use crayon or pencil to decorate, NOT water-based markers!

Pouches can be pre-made from scraps and decorated onsite. Starting the day
with this activity gives each child something to hold all the little things
they seem to collect.

Sachets - candy molds can be filled with a solution of plaster of paris and
spices (or essential oils), then colored and sprayed with finish (hair
spray is a good fixative!). If the plaster of paris is mixed with a
water-and-glue solution, the molds will be less likely to break. The
sachets can be prepared as a gift to be given out at Court, or as 12th
night (or any other night) gifts, or to keep. They are very good for giving
your garb a "period" scent.






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