Family Activities at Wars of the Roses – Something New!
Olivia Baker, reporting
This year at Wars of the Roses, we are doing something a little different. Rather than having specific family activities, we are encouraging and facilitating participation in all of the aspects of the event (to the extent legally and safely possible). Too much have we heard about families who cannot participate in “main” event activities and teens who are bored with crafts. There is always something to learn or help with, and it is our goal this year to provide as many opportunities for youth and their families to enjoy the event together as possible.
(1) There is always something to help with. We will provide a list of many of the activities happening at the event and things they will need volunteers for. Appropriate age ranges will be included so youth can easily find opportunities to help with the “main” Event.
(2) There is always something to learn. There will be many classes, and we will have a Village building full of artisans (and free play space) willing to share their craft and let anyone who is interested try it out. We are working with those who submit classes to have them post age ranges for their classes, and we encourage teachers to consider teaching beginner-level classes that would be appropriate for younger children as well. We are also looking for youth who would like to sponsor a competition at the Event.
(3) There is always someplace to be part of. The Village building will be a family-friendly space with free-play areas, artisan stations, and social space. It is a place where families can come to socialize, work on arts/sciences/handwork/etc, and play while enjoying “what we do in the SCA.” This is not the only place where families and youth are encouraged to participate. It is a sheltered area with boundaries that is explicitly family-friendly. Our goal is to keep families involved with the activities of the Event rather than sending them to a separated space.
We hope to see many families with all members engaged and enjoying the Event. If you have questions or suggestions, or you would like to volunteer to assist or teach, please contact me as soon as you can so we can talk!
If you’re interested in helping out with Family Activities, please contact the Family Activities Coordinator directly.
Please remember that parents are responsible for their children at all times. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with the East Kingdom Chancellor Minor Policies.
Below is the current schedule of family-friendly activities!
SATURDAY:
11:00 AM – Anyone Can Make Largesse! (Lady Finnguala ingen Neill meic Chuircc) — A class/workshop about what Largesse is and ideas for what SCAdians in various age groups and skill levels can make. A table with materials and idea/instruction sheets will be available for open use during the day on both Saturday and Sunday. Young children will need an older helper, not just adult supervision. Ages 4+
12:00 – 1:00 PM – Family-Friendly Songs for the SCA: a singalong and learning circle for sharing youth-appropriate tunes. Bring copies of our favorite SCA-and-youth-appropriate song lyrics to share!
1:00 PM – Origami (Paper Folding) for Beginners (Anna Elisabetta deValladolid) — A family-friendly class for ages 6+
1:00 PM – Storytime for the Littles (hosted by Inlé) — Come hear stories and maybe find a new favorite! We will be sharing our favorite SCA-appropriate picture books and reading some aloud. This will focus on stories appropriate for ages under 6. Live storytellers also welcome to stop by and share!
1:30 – 3:00 PM – Family Field Games — Active games for kids, family, and friends to play together that get you up and moving around!
3:00-5:00 PM – Heraldic Games! (Lady Cecelie Vogelgesangkin) — Using Registered names and devices, these games will include trivia, spelling attempts, and drawing for a full gamut of entertainment. Fun for ALL ages, they will work best with mixed age groups, so don’t be shy about joining in.
4:00 – 5:00 PM – Medieval Soda and Other Non-Alcoholic Drinks (lærifaðir Magnus hvalmagi) — We know a lot about adult beverages of medieval people, but did you know that non-alcoholic beverages were just as common (if not more)? Yup, believe it or not, soda is period! Come learn how to make some of these tasty drinks with things you can get from the grocery store!
7:00 PM – Human Chess (hosted by Mistress Ose Silverhair)
8:00 PM – Teen Roundtable (followed by Teen Social)
SUNDAY:
10:00 AM – Woven Wood (Master Angus Pembridge) — A hands-on demo of making wattle panels/fences/edging/etc.
11:00 AM – Viking Wire Weaving (Lady Shannon inghean Bhrain ui Dhuilleain) — Learn how to make those nifty woven wire necklaces (and other things) you see people wearing with their Viking-age garb. We’ll get started; students may not finish, but will be able to take their projects home to work on them. Material fee $5, age 16+, class size limit 8.
12:30 PM – Refilling the Kingdom Toychest (Lady Finnguala ingen Neill meic Chuircc) — What goes into filling the toy chest that gets brought out when the King and Queen visit? How can we help keep it full? Ideas and materials will be available. Let’s see how much we can get done to give back to the toychest!