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Knights & Castles: 50 Hands-On Activities to Experience the Middle Ages (Kaleidoscope Kids) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Avery Hart, Paul Mantell
Creator: Michael Kline
Publisher: Williamson Publishing Company
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $5.99
You Save: $6.96 (54%)
New (29) Used (17) Collectible (1) from $5.99
Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 227410
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 96
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 9.8 x 0.4
ISBN: 1885593171
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.1
EAN: 9781885593177
ASIN: 1885593171
Publication Date: May 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Fire up the imagination for a fantastical journey through Europe's medieval past, where kids become part of a mystical time of castles and kings, cathedrals and conquests.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 An Anti-Church Guide to the Middle Ages March 27, 2003
Fran (Canada)
47 out of 76 found this review helpful
This book has many interesting arts & craft ideas which kids find fun. However, one must endure numerous unsympathetic interpretations of the times which present the Church and Christians in general as ignorant and superstitious people. For example, the book states that Joan of Ark "heard voices in her head that helped her do battle and led her to victory." Such a statement would lead one to believe that she was really schizophrenic and not a saint of the Church. There are simply too many examples of this kind of smug, retrospective arrogance towards Christians of the past to list in this review. In every chapter, Christians are painted as stupid, blood thirsty, narrow-minded, etc. Their anti-Church bias is just too blatant to overlook.
One would be better off checking out Martha Stewart's kid magazine for craft ideas and pick up a less biased history book to read to children. Any Christian educator will want to avoid this book.
 At last an activity book that says for ages 6-12 & means it! September 4, 2001
S. Leathers (Binghamton, NY United States)
35 out of 38 found this review helpful
As a homeschooling parent, I am always on the lookout for interesting and fun learning resources. This book was not a disappointment for our family. The activities truly range in age ability and interest from 6-12. So while a six year old fashions her knight helmet (one of the activities included), her older brother might discuss or write his opinion in response to one of the several interesting discussion topics sprinkled throughout the book. And many of the activities are enjoyable for kids of all ages, including adults. The norm with kid activity books is to state they are for kids ages 6-12, while in reality, they are geared more towards kids in the 6-9 age range. This book is full of fun activities, interesting information, and food for thought for learners of all ages! Can't wait to bake and paint the bread!
 He-men and Frilly Girls July 6, 2005
M. David (Soldotna, AK)
33 out of 65 found this review helpful
Yes, this quote is actually a subheading on page 23 (it's true! I'm not creative enough to make this stuff up). Needless to say, "Knights & Castles" is so politically correct and anti-Christian that it boggles the mind that it could get published.
Still wondering? Here are some random quotes to help you decide if your child is ready for his ideological cleansing:
"Have you ever noticed TV ads for boys' and girls' toys? Do they make boys seem macho and girls seem weak and frilly? Is a girl less feminine if she is strong? Is a boy less masculine if he shows he cares?" (p23)
" As you know, the middle ages was a time of great intolerance." (p54)
"Males and females are more alike than different...Women were supposed to be tender...If a woman felt strong and powerful, she was expected to hide those feelings." (p23)
"Religion was a way to stay safe in the Middle Ages. Some young nobles probably became monks to avoid a life of endless battles." (p57)
"...some noble women and working women managed to gain power. That shows that with determined men and women, civilization can move forward even in the most oppressive times." (p22)
"The old tribal ways were seen as inferior by...church officials of the Middle Ages. In many places, tribal people are still treated with disrespect. But...Some modern scientists try to learn from native peoples...To find out more about this modern day struggle, contact: Cultural Survival 96, Mount Auburn St., etc." (p57)
That should be enough to get the flavor. It saddens me that authors like Avery Hart (and publishers like Williamson) can't let kids be kids anymore; No! we must mold and bend their little minds to our will [insert cackling witch laughter]...hmm, maybe there was something to that burning-witches-at-the-stake tradition...
Little kids stuff with sociology questions for big kids August 2, 1999
28 out of 42 found this review helpful
This book appears to have two different purposes: to supply fun activities that the 6-12 year old crowd might like, and to ask difficult questions more appropriate for the 12 to adult crowd. The activities in the book range from somewhat straightforward, like imagining life without electronics, to baking bread, to thinking about questions like "Do you think a country's having violent weapons prevents war or causes war?" and questions that address opening your mind to new possibilities. Small children are open to possibilities, adults are not, and since printed material has an inherent legitmacy to little kids, for that reason alone, this book, that interests small kids with fun activities, then hits them with grown up questions, is best used by big kids who are older, and have a maturity to discuss different opinions and understand the differences of opinion. If you are at all interested in the way your kids learn to think, and they or you want this book, read this with them. There are better targeted books for little kids and big kids, and we'll be buying those in the future.
There are better choices. June 2, 2003
A Homeschool Mom (Lake Orion, MI USA)
25 out of 32 found this review helpful
I found this book sadly lacking in substance and quality activities. Spend your money on Days of Knights and Damsels by Carlson.
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