For the second year in a row, we are using the second Story of the World for our history curriculum. Today we resumed talking about England after the Norman conquest. We discussed the effects of feudalism on the country and the pros and cons of such a setup. Life as a peasant/serf was definitely not fun. Who would want to have their pigs and chickens sleep in their home at night, but that's just what they did? The lords had a much better life, eating elaborate foods and enjoying spacious homes. This unbalanced situation upset the serfs, and they sometimes would revolt against their lords. That's why the lords began building stone castles. Creed and Cole built a stone castle replica out of blocks, complete with a keep, prison tower, kitchen, secret passages and windows from which arrows could be shot.
We also talked about the influence of the many groups of people that came to England. The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons (who brought latin and greek words), and the Normans all contributed to the english language that we know today. The kids thought it was interesting that the words that the Vikings contributed were words like hungry, angry, and death.
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