“Bjarni,

What a fantastic day we spent finding out all about life as a Viking! The children were thoroughly engaged and enthused about their new topic. As a teacher the opportunity to handle artifacts and develop an understanding of a different time and place in history to our own is invaluable. The experiences the children have had today will no doubt be remembered by them for many years to come.

Many Many thanks”

“Lots of great feedback from the boys about the day’s events Terry, I hope you enjoyed it too. The head was very pleased with your input and we will certainly try to find a good excuse to get you back sometime in the future.

Best wishes”

“Terry,

Thank you for the fantastic Viking day that you provided. Your character is well developed and you are clearly very knowledgeable about your subject. You have provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to our children, which has enhanced their interests to a totally new height. The parents have commented, stating that their children loved the experience.

I hope to have you back again in future years.

Comments from Children

“The shield wall was fantastic!”
“I loved seeing the real life weapons!”
And my favourite. “Can Bjarni come back every day?””

““A very engaging morning. The children were interested and motivated. They really enjoyed making their own inks and both staff and pupils were fascinated by the process!””

“Dear Terry,

Thank you so much for your visit to Seascale Year 5. Your workshop as Brother Mellitus was a fantastic learning experience for all of our class. In the words of one girl, it was “a history, a science and a literacy lesson all in one!”

The children were taken on an atmospheric journey into the past, where the desire to make written and lasting records necessitated experimentation with inks and mark-making tools. They learned how to make ink by grinding gallnuts using stones and slates and suspended this powder in liquid for writing purposes. They used quills sharpened with a penknife to write on antiqued manuscript paper using their hand made ink. Brother Mellitus was informative and engaging and the children were captivated by the entire experience of his visit. It was obvious that the class would have enjoyed another session of writing using the quill and ink once they had mastered controlling the flow of ink!

I would highly recommend a visit from Brother Mellitus. All of the learning from the visit was delivered within the context of the Lindisfarne Gospels. Your teaching was well-informed and your authoritative delivery style matched the needs and age of the class, as well as the demands of your position as Brother Mellitus!

Thank you so much for your visit!”

“Dear Terry,

A massive thanks for a fantastic day. The children had a great day and the teachers and teaching assistants loved it too. They have learnt so much more from you being in the school than they ever could have through books. Please find attached some of the pictures I took on the day. My wife has sent some to the local press and I will let you know if they are in this week.

Many thanks and I hope we meet again.”

“Dear Terry,

Many thanks for a fantastic visit to Greystoke School last week. We had a fantastic day and the children have picked up so much knowledge and understanding about Viking life – and their enthusiasm this week has been great! I was listening in to four of the girls role playing as Viking children at play time this week – grinding grain, feeding animals and playing games. The children have also really enjoyed writing as if they were Viking children and this showed how much they had learnt from your visit too!

Many thanks for a great day,”

“Dear Terry,

Many thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable and jam packed learning day last week. All the children and adults had nothing but praise for your enthusiasm, knowledge and your interaction with everyone.
You certainly met our expectations and needs, and the children are even more inspired to learn more about the Vikings.

Thankyou messages from the children will hopefully arrive next week.

All best wishes and once again many thanks.”

“Bjarni Thorvaldrson spent the day with the pupils of Class 3, explaining what life was like in Viking times. They found out how to hunt wild boar, listened to the story of when Thor met Utgard-Loki, learnt how to fight in a shield wall, played Kubb, 9 Men’s Morris and Maya, and made butter.”