Meet My Vikings

We are doing a unit study as part of Lil D’s history lesson. I know a lot of homeschool parents make up their own unit studies but luckily for the people who are unit study challenged (me) you can find unit studies all over the internet that are made for you.

I came across this Viking unit study on a site called justmommies.com. This unit study is all about Vikings. The two books recommended are Leif the Lucky and We Are The Vikings. This unit study was supposed to be just for Lil D but Miss likes it so much that she has joined in too.

The unit study suggests you make Viking costumes; this is where I had my fun. The kids made paper mache Viking helmets and I made the costumes.

I got the idea of how to make a Viking costume here. I made the second Sweden dress because I am not good at sewing. I am not into a lot of measuring or patterns. I eye ball it and piece things together. I am sure someone who has the patience and the sewing skills can make any of these dresses and they would turn out great.

At the end of the unit study it is suggested you have a Viking party. I am excited about the party. Who doesn’t like a party? There is a recipe for a Viking drink in the book We Are The Vikings and I also searched the Internet to find some Viking recipes we could make for our party. I found this site, Lady Valdis Isbrandsdottir, which has Viking recipes and other information about Vikings.

We will be making Cardamom Horns, they look easy to make and the little breads are shaped like a horns.

Cardamom Horns
2 eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
4 tablespoons warm water
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds

Dissolve yeast in water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Cream butter and sugar. Add yeast mixture and all remaining ingredients. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Punch dough down and divide into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle and cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll each wedge from the wide end and pinch end to seal, forming a horn. Place horns onto greased baking sheets and let rise until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with butter.

We are also going to make Swedish meatballs. I am not sure if Vikings ate Swedish Meatballs but we like them so I am going with it.

Swedish Meatballs
Meatballs: 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
2 pounds ground lean beef
dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
4 cups cooked rice
Gravy: 1/2 cup beer
1 tablespoon flour
dash nutmeg

Meatballs: Combine all ingredients except rice; mix well. Shape into balls and brown all around in a skillet. Remove balls from pan.
Gravy: Add flour to meatball drippings; stir until smooth. Add beer and nutmeg. If too thick, add more beer; if too thin, add more flour. Stir meatballs into gravy. Serve hot over steaming hot rice.

It seems Apple cake is a popular recipe on Norway and Viking food websites. So I am going to try out an apple cake as well. I found a recipe for apple cake on this site, Norway-hei.com.

Making the costumes was my favorite part. So without further ado, I would like you to meet my Vikings.

Miss the Humble


Lil D the Brave


Bug the Helpful