In the SCA (as in life) kids have more fun if they're included in the game than if they're just asked to observe it. It's not difficult to incorporate your children into the Current Middle Ages--after all, kids are period! It just takes a little thought and the same kind of research you put into every other aspect of your Society life. Here are some pointers, to help you get started.

Don't forget also to visit the sections on MoC activities and projects for details on--and links to resources for--activities we've done or are planning to do through the MoC. While our emphasis here is on playthings and gameplay, those pages are largely about period crafts and skills. Children, like adults, often find creating something or making a concrete contribution more rewarding than being entertained. Encouraging your child to take up a constructive hobby is, therefore, not only authentically medieval, but likely to help them feel as though they're really part of the Society.

Suggestions from Experienced SCA Parents

Lady Tabitha Baker has written several articles on how to make participation in the SCA enjoyable for children. "Children at Events" offers tips on how to stave off boredom, frustration, and crankiness, along with some ways children can themselves contribute to the success of an event. "A Child's Toychest" offers ideas on what to pack to give your kids hours of event-appropriate fun without breaking your bank or your back.

Stefan's Florilegium includes over 20 articles and themed collections of posts related to children. Several of them are about period toys, but most are about the practicalities of bringing children and teens to SCA events.

Sources for Period Game and Toy Ideas

"Toys in the Middle Ages", by Lady Margritte of Ravenscroft, which is preserved in Stefan's Florilegium, consists of an overview of the types of toys that were common in the period of SCA study, with specific and extensive attestation as to where and when various items appeared. It's a good place to start, to get your brain to work on the question of what your children can play with in persona.

Hrafnir Fiachsman has written up his class notes on "'Period' Toys and Games for Children (and adults)" and made them available in PDF on his website. This may be particularly useful, as it includes not only information on surviving playthings from the Middle Ages, but tips on how modern parents can find or create reasonable facsimiles of many for their children's use. Unfortunately, most of the images from the original have been removed (probably out of respect for the copyrights of their originators), so if you want to know what they look like you'll have to resort to the bibliography and the local library.

The article "How to Make a Viking Toy Horse", by Stephen Francis Wyley, includes not only carving instructions but images of the original toy finds on which the instructions are based, a bibliography, and recommendation for further reading.

Sunnifa Gunnarsdotter's "Norse Accessories" class notes include a photo of willow wood toys--a boat and two horses--and briefly mentions some other types of toys found at Norse sites.

A sketch of the procedure for making a snorie bane (a buzzing or rattling toy made from a pig's trotter, rather similar in concept to a bull roarer) , along with comments on where they've been found to have been used, is provided in an article by Ausland Cramb, on the Telegraph site. If you've got a friendly neighborhood butcher, you might be able to make one for nothing.

In 1560, Flemish artist Pieter Brueghel painted Children's Games, which depicts a multitude of games in progress and toys in use. Though the original work is in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, prints can be purchased inexpensively from a variety of sources worldwide. The Elliot Avedon Museum and Archive of Games has made available information on the rules of two dozen of these games, each presented with a close-up of the section of the painting that depicts it.

The excavation of the Carmelite friary at Esslingen am Neckar unearthed quite a few toys, some of which are pictured on the Esslington in the Middle Ages site. They give a good idea of the range of fully-period options available to us.

History Today has archived on its site an analysis by Nicholas Orme of "Child's Play in Medieval England". Several centuries are covered, in information drawn largely from period writings. There are unfortunately no photos of the artifacts he does mention, but an impressive variety of toys are documented.

British Archaeology, no. 35, included an article by Geoff Egan entitled "Miniature Toys of Medieval Childhood". It contains no illustrations, but describes in some detail a wide range of toys which have been found in digs.

The Medieval and Renaissance Games Home Page includes rules for and/or descriptions of about 80 period games, links to sites for additional information, and a bibliography of related texts. This is an SCA-related page, and the author has taken pains to present information on where and how the games are attested. Many of the games are appropriate for children, though children's games are not the focus of the site.

Regia Anglorum offers descriptions of several Games of the Viking and Anglo-Saxon Age, with photos of some original pieces and some reconstructions, and rules for some of the games. This article also includes a photo of reproduction "toys for smaller children", among them a couple of musical instruments and wooden horses and swords as well as a number of games.

The Viking Answer Lady has an article on Viking games on her site, complete with photos and drawings of game pieces and game boards from the Viking Age.

The Online Guide to Traditional Games features information on historical games from around the world. Details of play are not always given, but a sketch of the history of each game and links (sometimes extensive) to further information are.

Dagonell's Research Notebook includes all 18 of his "game of the month" articles, originally published in his local barony's newsletter. Additional reference material and a FAQ are also presented here.

Karen Larsdattir has compiled a series of links to images of Toys and Playthings of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Each is concisely annotated, and information on puppets and puppet shows is included, along with links to other compilation sites.

Lady Pegleg's site includes instructions for alquerque a dos, chess, nine men's morris, Byzantine chess, oblong chess, mancala, gluckshaus, and tablero, plus images of her boards for them. She doesn't include any information on where or when they were played in period, but that information for most of them is listed on one or more of the resource pages mentioned above.

Masters Games provides rules for a wide variety of traditional games (several dozen in all), some of which were played in the Middle Ages. Historical information is not always included, but it's a good place to go for details on how to play some games which are mentioned by name but not well-described by other sources.

The British Museum's Children's COMPASS includes a "tour" of toys and games from their collection, categorized by type (dolls& models, kites, board games, games equipment, puppets, and card games). Many are from before or after our period, but there are good images of a few medieval items.

Baron Fum's page on Puppets and Puppetry in Period gives a fair amount of information on the history of puppetry in Europe in the Middle Ages, plus details on the methods he uses to create the puppets he uses to put on shows at SCA events. It includes references, but unfortunately no illustrations.

Perrotts Puppet Players offer "a brief history of the puppet theatre", emphasizing British puppets before the adoption of the "Punch" character. It includes images from three period sources.

Merchants Carrying Reproduction Toys and Games

MacGregor Historic Games offers games sets with fabric "boards" (Pope Joan, poch, cribbage, 9 & 12 men's morris, morris with dice, ringo, checkers, backgammon, and chaupar), dice (including period novelty dice, seven-sided dice, and simulated knucklebones), reproduction playing and tarot cards, and instruction booklets for dice and card games. They claim to include the rules for more variations in gameplay than any other re-enactment gaming company (the backgammon set, for instance, comes with instructions for 30 variations on the game). Their site also includes information on the history of games, with an "ask" feature. And they sell hand-turned wooden cup-and-ball toys and spinning tops.

Billy and Charlie cast in pewter a tiny bird with a moveable tongue mounted on a ring, a miniature jug, and a trio of whistles--all documentable toys of the Middle Ages.

Fire & Smoke Trading Company sells a number of toys and games. Some of them are post-period for the SCA, but their ball-and-cup toy, wooden and pewter dice, fired-clay marbles, and wooden dominoes, skittles sets, tops, cribbage boards, and rolling hoops are definitely medieval. While the clothing on their rag dolls is out-of-period, the dolls themselves may well resemble the ones for which medieval children cared. And though the cloth and paper boards of their checkers and goose sets may not be strictly period, the games themselves and the wooden gamepieces are. Their prices are very reasonable, and you could stock quite a medieval toy chest with their offerings.

Toys from Times Past offers a variety of hand-made wooden toys, several of which (ball-and-cup toys, tops, hoops and sticks, climbing bears, pecking chickens) are definitely period. Some information about the history of some of them is given on the site.

Tara Hill Designs sells wooden boards and pieces for tafl, fox and geese, sailor's solitaire, nine men's morris, and Valhalla. The games are of the quick-to-learn, slow-to-master type that're accessible to even very young children but challenging for adults. Since the instructions are available online, you can get a clear idea of whether or not you'll like to play before you invest.

Pastyme Games offers two sets of period playing cards (tarot), wooden dice and instructions for dice games, wooden sets for hnefatafl, draughts, alquerque, fox and geese, nine men's morris, and chess, the game of goose with a cloth "board", wooden tops and yo-yos, and hand-thrown glass marbles, along with several games from before or shortly after the SCA period. They've also made instructions for a number of games available online.

Bryanna's Treasure Box is a purveyor of authentic historical games (Gloucester tabulae, the royal game of Ur, tablut, mancala, 9 and 12 men morris, draughts, and rithmomachia) rendered with hand-painted cloth game "boards" for easy and compact transportation. She also sells Jacob's ladders.

The Viking Trader sells game sets (for pente, go, othello, reversi, hnefatafl, three and nine men's morris, alquerque, fox and geese, tic tac toe, and nine hole) consisting of soft leather "boards" and wooden or glass pieces in a leather drawstring bag. They take special orders, so you could get a similar set for a different game, or get a set made in the colors of your choice, etc.

Bear Paw Woodworks is local to and operated by residents of Bryn Gwlad. Though their website doesn't yet contain any details related to them, they make a small selection of wooden toys of medieval design and will accept special orders.

Storing and Transporting Playthings (and Other Necessities)

Come on, you don't want to go to all the trouble to make or buy medieval toys and then store them in plastic tubs, do you? Here're some better ideas. Look to medieval and Renaissance paintings, especially those that feature peasants or merchants, for contemporary images of these and other containers in use. The Web Gallery of Art and Mark Harden's Artchive are good places to try, as are the virtual galleries of museums. By searching the Artcyclopedia, you can locate works by specific artists or from specific countries in collections all over the world.

Pouches can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes, from a variety of materials, using a variety of techniques. Look for "accessories" on your favorite sites related to garb from your persona's home place and time, or try one of these for inspiration:

• Ravenstead Household's site contains line drawings of several types of pouch, presumably appropriate for Norse personae.
• Karen Larsdatter has posted annotated links to "Pouches and Purses in Medieval and Renaissance Works of Art", with some photos of artifacts thrown in for good measure. Most of them are from the 14th-16th centuries.
• The handout from Sunnifa Gunnarsdotter's "Norse Accessories" class are available on the Jomsborg page. Included are photos of a 10th century reliquary pouch of embroidered silk, lyre-shaped leather pouches and metal pouch frames, and wallets and drawstring pouches of leather, plus an artist's rendering of an intact lyre-shaped pouch with carvings.

Look to these for patterns:

• Kit guidelines for TheViking Experience include patterns for circular and semi-circular pouches of leather, modeled on artifacts from Heddeby.
• Lothene Experimental Archaeology has instructions for a leather pouch with a flap.
• Dawn's Costume Guide includes directions for a lined, string-drawn bag made of cloth.
• Aldebaran's DIY Guide to LRP includes three segments on pouches. The Pouch Making Guide references several ways you can vary the structure and decoration of a pouch to make it serve your purposes better or just look the way you want it to look. The charm pouch pattern is for a full-circle pouch of leather, similar to the Heddeby pouch mentioned on the Viking Experience site above. And the box pouch instructions are for a rectangular pouch with a flat bottom, also of leather.
• Interweave Press' Needlework site includes a PDF pattern for a pouch made by looping yarn (nälbinding). The pattern produces a very small "treasure pouch", but you could use the same technique to make a larger one.
• Lord Charles Oakley offers on the Living History site a pattern for a late 13th / early 14th century string-drawn belt pouch of leather.

Chests, boxes, and caskets can be constructed quickly and inexpensively, or purchased from a craft or home decorating store "ready to finish" for a few dollars (depending on the size). Locally, try the "wood crafting" aisle at Michaels (there are four in Austin), or the unfinished wood area at Garden Ridge (in Round Rock). If you'd rather make one for yourself, look here for inspiration:

• "The Medieval Chest", by Master Dafydd ap Gwystl, includes drawings of typical Norse, six-board, and panel chests, with information on the period in which each was commonly used and tips on construction.
• Tom Rettie has on his site images of simple chests he's made for SCA use.
• House Greydragon's site includes photos of several carved medieval chests and a "small-scale reproduction" of one of them.
• The Viking Answer Lady has on her site photos of several carved ivory caskets from northern Europe, as well as an original casket in similar style which she made (using faux ivory made of polymer clay).
• Pavel has posted images of boxes of different sizes and types made for SCA use.
• Hieronymous Bosch's Death and the Miser (1490) features a large chest with a built-in lock
• Sunnifa Gunnarsdottir's "Norse Accessories" class handout inludes images of and information on Norse chests, coffins, and bentwood boxes.

Or check here for instructions:

• John V. Lambert offers instructions for building "A Small Medieval Chest" (the "box" is about 12 inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 16.5 inches long; its bottom is about 3 inches off the ground), using a single 8-foot-long 1-by-12 inch board. This is a very simple project, accessable to woodworkers of little experience and requiring only a short time to complete. An even smaller version (with a roughly 8 X 8 X 13 inch box) can be made with a 6-foot-long 1-by-8 inch board. Just cut the ends 11 inches high, and otherwise follow the given instructions. I've found it the perfect size to double as a seat for a small child.
• The Medieval Encampments Yahoo! Group has patterns for several types of storage chest in its files. Some very inexpensive options are included (e.g., a cutting diagram for making three chests from one sheet less than 4 by 5 feet). They're only open to members, but you can join the group and set your preferences so that you don't receive any mail from it, if you prefer.
• Various instructions for making "knock-down" hutches are presented by Master Robyyan Torr d'Elandris, Tom Rettie, and Terefan Greydragon. You can transport these as flat pieces, then assemble them when you get to camp and use them to store items that were kept loose in your vehicle en route. Depending on the size of your car or trailer and the sizes and shapes of the objects in it, you may find this makes it easier for you to get everything to the site.
• Matthew Power's article on reproducing the Canfield Coffer (a small, early-12th-century storage box from England) is presented in PDF by Medieval Pavilion Resources.
• The Dragonwing site includes instructions for making a carved, flat-topped chest designed to double as seating (big enough for adults).

Baskets made of wicker and split wood are readily available at home and craft stores, and at certain times of the year at department stores. You can also often find them in salvage and charity shops, almost for free. (One that looks too dirty to use may actually be a treasure. Did you know you can wash them, and return them to beauty and utility?) Several of the most widely-offered shapes were also popular in the Middle Ages. Medieval baskets were the topic of Compleat Anachronist 77, and baskets can be found in many medieval paintings, especially those that feature peasants and marketplaces. For images online, you might consider these:

• The files of the SCA Basketry Yahoo! Group include several images of baskets from period artwork, plus photos of basket remnants from Viking-age finds. Yahoo! no longer allows non-members to access files, but you can join the group and set your preferences so that you receive no mail from it.
• Pieter Aertsen (Dutch, 17th century) is known for his depictions of marketplaces and working people, several of which include images of baskets in use.
• Hieronymous Bosch's Wayfarer (16th century) shows a traveler carrying his possessions in a basket on his back.
• Abraham Bloemaert's Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Dutch, 1624) contains a basket.
• Harvesters (1565), Netherlandish Proverbs (1559), Peasant Wedding (1568), The Procession to Calvary (1564) by Flemish artist Pieter Brueghel each show one basket.

If you'd like to make your own baskets, the Basketmakers site is an excellent place to find information. The section on willow baskets includes information on supplies and patterns (including kits that contain both) as well as links to sites where finished baskets are sold. The techniques taught in any good book on willow basketry will be the same ones used in the Middle Ages. Just pick a shape that looks right and go.

Buckets and pails were used in period to store more than liquids. Some of them had lids that secured with pegs, and were used to store tools and other household items. Others were designed to transport and display goods for sale. Here are a couple of places to look for inspiration:

• Several of Pieter Aertsen's paintings show merchants using buckets.
• Sunnifa Gunnarsdottir's "Norse Accessories" class handout includes photos of several unearthed buckets from the 9th-10th centuries and a line drawing of a reconstruction of one.

Making functional buckets and pails takes a lot of skill. There is a collection of posts on coopering in Stefan's Florilegium, and you might start there for an idea of what's involved, if you think you'd like to learn to do it. In the meantime:

• Several of the pails, buckets, and tubs made in Five Rivers' cooperage are based on designs from the SCA period.