We’re running a Summer Holiday Club in Barnstaple this year and have teamed up with our friends at Norse Hawk Activity Centre to create 4 exciting Viking Science themed days, which are guaranteed to be exciting, busy, science-y, and with a dash of Viking thrown in!
Our Summer Holiday Club in Barnstaple will be at the Norse Hawk Activity Centre on the dates below. Norse Hawk is a new Viking themed family activity centre in Bishops Tawton near Barnstaple and, as such, we’ve gone for a Viking Science theme!
Find Norse Hawk on Google Maps: https://bit.ly/3h0AsRY
The Summer Holiday Club will run from 10am to 3pm and costs £33 per child per session. There is a sibling discount of 15% which is £28.05/day.
All your child needs to bring is lunch, drinks & snacks, outdoor shoes, coats & sunscreen, plus any medication they can administer themselves.
Bookings are open NOW. Book your space/s below.
Dates/Times
Water & Rafts | 10am – 3pm | Thursday 29th July
Mystic & Magic | 10am – 3pm | Friday 30th July
Brave Biology | 10am – 3pm | Thursday 5th August
Fly High | 10am – 3pm | Friday 6th August
Venue
Address: Norse Hawk Activity Centre, Horswell Farm, Cleave Lane End, Bishop’s Tawton EX32 0ED. Click for map here.
How to Book
Booking a space on the summer holiday club is easy! Just click on the day you’re interested in below, this will take you to the booking page.
- Add the number of places you want in the “quantity” box
- Then click on the date you want in bold, you’ll see options of “recurring” or “continue” – if you don’t see this, click the date again.
- Click “continue”, complete your details and click through to Paypal.
- If you don’t have PayPal, let us know on 07847006048
As you can see below, there is a link to reserve all sessions if you want to or just choose the days your fancy.
Activity details
Water & Rafts day – July 29th
Do you have what it takes to be a Viking Warrior navigating the seas to explore new lands? How did you get there? What perils would lay await for you? Which direction did you go?
- Find out about Viking exploration through hands on science, games and stories.
- Experiment to find out why Long Boats were successful warships
- Make a floating longboat to keep
- Decorate your own Longboat fridge magnet
- Be a Viking Warrior in the human sized grid game
- Learn about the Pole star, and how it was used in navigation
- Make a Pole Star light up picture using paper circuits and an LED
Children take home their own made floating long boat, decorated longboat magnet & light up Pole star picture
Mystic & Magic day – July 30th
Step into the world of a Seeress, a Viking Witch. What did she wear? What trinkets did she carry? How did she make potion? In this workshop, you’ll decorate a Seeress’s staff, conjure up Freya’s Potions (but first you’ll have to find the hidden ingredients), then design a magic colour changing amulet.
- Find out about Viking Witches, called a völva or seeress, through hands on science, games and stories
- Learn what they wore and about their high status in society
- Make your own magic staff to keep by designing and decorating it to give it special powers
- Make colour changing, fizzing, erupting potions using typical ingredients
- Make a bubbling potions (lava lamp) to keep
- Hear about Freya, the Viking’s most famous Seeress, through a fun interactive game
- Create a magical amulet or jewellery using special beads
Children take home, their decorated staff, the magic amulet or jewellery, a bubbling Potion.
Brave Biology Day – Aug 5th
Let’s find out about how our Viking bodies worked! Follow Thor’s Dagmal (his breakfast) as it went down the digestive system, all the way to the end! After a healthy meal, Thor is ready for battle, but how did he protect himself?
- Find out about Viking food, digestion, and battle through hands on science, games and stories
- Make a “digestive tract” and find out what happens at each stage
- Learn who Thor was and why he was so important
- Design and paint a shield
- Learn about Viking armour and compare it to modern armour
- Hear about liquid armour and make your own (oobleck & slime)
- Oops, Thor forgot his helmet!! What else can you use to protect him in battle (an adaptation of the Egg-Drop challenge)
Children take home their painted shield, Oobleck & Slime, Thor’s helmet (own design)
Fly High Day – Aug 6th
Vikings were great engineers, they built boats, villages, armour and weapons. Let’s take a look at Viking weapons, and build a Viking catapult as used in the story of Loki & Baldur. We’ll also make stomp arrows and targets, and test to see who’s goes furthest. Write secret messages in runes, and other Viking themed crafts.
- Find out about Viking weapons through hands on science & games
- Make a Viking catapult, and compare to an alternative design
- Learn the story of Loki and Baldur through fun interactive story and game
- Design and create paper stomp arrows, then enter the stomp competition (optional)
- Write and decipher secret rune messages
- Launch rune messages to your targets
Children take home, their paper arrows, Viking catapult, Runes and Viking crafts.
What to expect
There is plenty of parking at Norse Hawk. We’ll welcome your child at 10am with a simple starter Viking activity for them whilst everyone arrives and settles in. You are welcome to stay to settle your youngster in, if you need to, or you can stay for the whole thing!
Firstly, we will begin with a STEM challenge, such as building a raft or a catapult for example. Next, there will a Viking Story and Viking games, followed by lunch at about 12 in the Viking Garden, followed by more science experiments in the afternoon.
For much of the day, we will be outside in the fresh air within the enclosed Viking Garden, so long as the weather is kind! If the weather turns there is plenty of safe space inside if the weather is against us.
As you can see above, each day has a different theme with the result that children can come to more than once to experience something new. Additionally, there is plenty to make and take home, such as launchers, potions and jewellery.
If you have any questions, please contact us here or call/text Ruth on 07847006048.
“ver heill ok sæl“
Ruth
Head Scientist at Sciencedipity CIC & Science Parties Devon