Camp schools

School camp in the Viking area

Your class will embark on a time travel to the early Viking Age, where you as foster sons and daughters will be apprenticed to the king’s shepherds who look after the area around the King’s Hall, or as traveling Vikings in the tent area at the King’s Hall. We will give you an insight into the living conditions of our ancestors and give an impression of a Viking Age in full bloom with testimonies from near and far of the known world. You will participate in food preparation, crafts, warrior training and learn about faith and power. Some students will make themselves useful in the kitchen area with cooking, crafts and wool and yarn crafts, while others are diligent with wood crafts or blacksmithing, crafts and other crafts.

There is room for 2 classes at a time. If you’re lucky, there will be another school class in the Viking area at the same time. Then there is the possibility of joint activities such as warrior training, storytelling or haggling. Maybe you’ll treat each other to a meal. Lejre Land of Legends is open to other guests and they will be curious about what you are doing. This gives you a great opportunity to share the knowledge and experience you’ve gained with others.

Your stay lasts from 1 day to 4 days. You have the option of booking two or three facilitators for your program.

As traveling Vikings, you come to Kongehallen to experience Viking life, including cooking, crafts, trade and warrior training.

Some students are the ones who have to keep track of how to feed their family. They work at the kitchen tent with food and small chores. Others work in the forge or woodworking area.

All meals are prepared and eaten at the kitchen tent.

Your class sleeps in 6 Viking tents, which are furnished with a lovely bedding of straw and skins. You bring your own sleeping bags and the Ravnefolket have extra wool blankets in case it gets a bit chilly. There is also a tent for the teachers and a bag room for your gear.

As a shepherd, you’ll come to the King’s Hall and become part of the people who look after the King’s Hall. You will sleep in the shepherd’s house, which has 3 sections with 5/6/5 alcoves. Each alcove has room for 2-3 children and one in the upper bunk. There is also a chopping house, a food house and a kitchen yard. Some students prepare the food. They will also learn how to feed the entire household that lives at the King’s Hall. Others chop wood, carve and work with Viking crafts.

All cooking is done according to instructions outside over a fire and eaten in the kitchen courtyard.

Right next to the King’s Hall is the Multihouse with kitchen facilities for storage, refrigerators, kettle and coffee machine. This is where you can put your ingredients on display. There are also toilets, changing rooms and showers.

School camp in the Viking Age

Arrival day is the day you settle into your new home. You’ll be welcomed, there’s a tour, a safety briefing, eating your packed lunch, changing into Viking clothes, a teacher talk, lighting a fire, chopping wood, small and large chores and help with dinner.

On the other days there are lessons from 9:30-15:30, if you are not already leaving the next day. Your facilitators have created a program, which you will hear more about during the teacher interview when you arrive.

Keeping house, getting your family through the winter and giving good hospitality are treasured and quite an achievement. Some students work at the kitchen tent or in the kitchen courtyard and prepare a Viking-style meal over a fire. We use the same ingredients and spices as our ancestors did. The group hosts the rest of the class. It takes a lot of effort to keep house and feed an entire class. If guests are sent to the other class, the group hosts them too. This is another opportunity to practice being both a good host and a good guest.

Here you work in the forge with different metals such as iron or tin. The bellows must be looked after and the iron must be forged while it’s hot. If you’re in the woodworking tent or in the chopping house, you’ll work in wood with axes, knives and gouges. You’ll learn a lot about handling and using tools, work processes and teamwork, and you’ll gain respect for the craftsmen of the past. Perhaps you’ll be weaving fences, chopping firewood and sharpening fence posts. Who knows, there might even be time to play some Viking games.

You can continue the various chores you started in the morning. If another class is visiting the campsite, set aside time to meet the strangers, do warrior training together, play games together, shop and make new kinsmen (friends). There is also the opportunity to take a guided tour of the rest of Lejre Land of Legends. If, after a “hard” morning’s work, you need to play, relax or be yourself in the afternoon, there should of course be time for that.

After the guides have left, you have the area to yourselves. Now it’s up to you to look after the place. You have to tend the fire, prepare your evening meal, wash the dishes and then explore the whole of Lejre Land of Legends. You can play games, make friendly challenges, check on our animals, sail in tribal boats by appointment, wash dishes, play hnefatafl, immerse yourself in the things you have started, provide entertainment, chop firewood, sing songs, hear stories, count stars, listen to night sounds and of course sleep after a long and hard day’s work in our lovely tents or in our fine hirdshus.

On this day, it’s time to tidy up and clean up, getting everything ready for the new team that comes after you. There’s a recap of what you’ve experienced and learned, and then it’s goodbye and thank you for this time.

If you leave at 14:00, you can work on small crafts during the morning and prepare lunch on the day of departure.

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School camp in the Viking Age

Duration

Arrival day 10am – departure day 2pm on shorter programs from 1-3 days.

Arrival day 10 am – departure day 12 pm for the 4-day program.

The class has two facilitators who work in role and costume as Vikings – if there are more than 28 students in the class, three facilitators are required.

The program supports the Common Objectives in history, culinary arts, crafts and design, Danish and social studies.

Grade level

The course is best suited for 3rd-6th grade.

The course is organized so that students are given age-appropriate tasks.

If you book an overnight stay, you will receive practical information about your stay approximately one month before your visit.

The Viking area is open for stays, even when the rest of Lejre Land of Legends is closed. It is possible to sign up two years in advance.

The course of the week

Arrival day

This is the day when you settle into your new home. You’ll be welcomed, there’s a tour, a safety briefing, eating your packed lunch, changing into Viking clothes, a teacher talk, lighting the fire, chopping wood, small and big chores and helping with dinner.

The next days:

On the other days, there are classes from 9:30-15:30, if you are not already leaving the next day. Your facilitators have created a program, which you’ll hear more about during the teacher interview when you arrive.

Cooking

Keeping house, getting your family through the winter and giving good hospitality is a treasured skill and quite an achievement. Some students work at the kitchen tent or in the kitchen courtyard and prepare a Viking-style meal over a fire. We use the same ingredients and spices as our ancestors did. The group hosts the rest of the class. It takes a lot of effort to keep house and feed an entire class. If guests are sent to the other class, the group also hosts them. Again, you can practice being both a good host and a good guest.

Craft activities

Work in the forge with different metals such as iron or tin. The bellows must be looked after and the iron must be forged while it’s hot. If you’re in the woodworking tent or in the chopping house, you’ll work in wood with axes, knives and gouges. You’ll learn a lot about handling and using tools, work processes and teamwork, and you’ll gain respect for the craftsmen of the past. Perhaps you’ll be weaving fences, chopping firewood and sharpening fence posts. Who knows, there might even be time to play some Viking games.

Afternoon activities

You can continue your various pursuits you started in the morning. If another class is visiting the campsite, set aside time to meet the strangers, do warrior training together, play games together, go shopping and make new kinsmen (friends). There is also the opportunity to take a guided tour of the rest of Lejre Land of Legends. If you need to play, relax or be yourself in the afternoon after a “hard” morning’s work, there will of course be time for that.

In the evening

After the facilitators have left, you have the area to yourselves. Now it’s up to you to look after the place. Take care of the fire, prepare your dinner, wash the dishes and then explore the whole of Lejre Land of Legends. You can play, play friendly games, check on our animals, sail in tribal boats by appointment, wash dishes, play hnefatafl, immerse yourself in the things you’ve started, provide entertainment, chop firewood, sing songs, hear stories, count stars, listen to night sounds and of course sleep after a long and hard day’s work in our lovely tents or in our fine hirdshus.

On the day of departure

On this day, it’s time to tidy up and clean up, getting everything ready for the new team that’s coming after you. There’s a recap of what you’ve experienced and learned, and then it’s goodbye and thank you for this time.

If you leave at 14:00, you can work on small crafts during the morning on the day of departure, and you can prepare lunch.