This week our amazing artist, Becky, led a workshop for our budding artists in year 5 on how to design and make a Viking Shield. This was to round off our History topic on the Vikings. The children used a variety of techniques. Firstly, they researched the designs of the shields and decided upon their very own design to draw and paint onto their shields. The children used acrylic paint and a special painting pen to outline their design. 

The real shields were actually made of wood, iron and leather. For our replica shields, we used cardboard. The outer rim shield would have been bound with leather to prevent them shattering on impact with an impending iron axe or sword, but we thought our design would look great with a metal strip around the outer edge. The 'boss', which was the raised hemisphere in the middle of our shield, was actually an 8cm polystyrene hemisphere which was covered in silver foil and glued to the middle of the shield.  Children then researched the Runes (the Viking alphabet) and decided on what they would 'write' on their shield, a spell to ward off the enemy, which was then embossed with the same silver that the shield was edged with. 

We feel that the designs were very attractive and would most certainly scare any attacking enemy! What do you think?