We made these sets of knights’ armor out of milk jugs to go along with our medieval history studies. I needed three milk jugs for each child . . . at our house that’s a lot of milk jugs. {6 boys!  Do the math!!}  Oh, the things I’ll do to have an army of milk jug knights swarming through my house.  (:
First we made the helmets. There are two styles, either the kind that has a face mask or the kind that leaves your face uncovered. Both styles use the same basic line to cut along, you just cut eye holes in the face mask and wear it backward.
Here’s the way you draw the line along which you will cut your milk jug.
If you want the face mask style, put the helmet over your child’s head, so his or her face is covered and mark where the eye holes need to go. Take the helmet off and cut out the eye holes.
Here is how the helmet looks finished.
Here’s the helmet sans face mask. You can take the label off yours (oops).
We also made chest armor. For this you need two milk jugs, a hole punch, and some string.
Cut out two corners of one milk jug for the shoulder pieces.
Cut out two sides of the milk jug–opposite the handle– for the chest and back piece. Do this twice; once for the chest and once for the back–so you’ll need two milk jugs.
When you’re done cutting out you will have four pieces that look like this.
Now punch holes in the top corners of the chest and back armor and in two of the corners in each of the shoulder pieces. Tie the pieces together with yarn or string as shown.
All done! Now slip the chest armor over your head, don your helmet, and fight for truth, justice and the American way . . . no wait, that’s Superman . . .
Bonus. Tim made the shield and sword, cutting out and carving them himself . . . of course Tim did that, Tim is always scheming and building and creating things. It’s the Timmy way. If you want a sword and shield of your own you’ll have to talk to Tim, but I can show you how he put together the back of the shield so it can be carried on one arm.
ADDITIONAL LAYERS:
- The knights in full suits of steel armor that we imagine and see portrayed in story books and movies were from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. But that’s very recent in the history of the world. Earlier knights and soldiers wore armor too, but usually it was chain mail with bits and pieces of solid armor, maybe on the forearms and shins and in the helmet. But most soldiers used thick woolen garments covered with stiff leather for protection in battle. And others fought naked, or nearly naked–enough to frighten me off, that’s for sure. Learn more about the history of armor. I don’t think they ever wore milk jug armor, though, but then we modern people are so advanced (smirk).
- In most cultures it is the men who go to battle, but not in all. Ancient Indian women fought alongside the men. Sometimes the Celtic women fought in battle and they were known for their prowess and ferocity. And of course modern women often go to battle. What do you think? Should women go to battle alongside the men? Are there certain times when they should or should not? why? Find out more about those ancient female warriors. Why did they go to battle?
- Today soldiers still wear armor in battle, just not steel plates. The crossbow made steel armor obsolete since the bolt was powerful enough to pass right through the armor and crossbows were simple enough for every foot soldier to use with a decent amount of prowess. Body armor today is made of Kevlar and a full suit is about as heavy (and hot) as the medieval armor of knights. But it’s purpose is very different. New types of armor are constantly being developed. Find out what the cutting edge technology in soldier protection is today and why they have to keep upgrading the armor.
By the way, did you know that Karen and I are writing a whole new curriculum? Come see why:
Come see what it is:
Come see our free printables:
And if you want to join us on our fun homeschooling adventures and get lots of cool ideas for teaching kids the fun way, be sure to subscribe!
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You can also use the handle of the milk carton and some cardboard and create a shield. It’s not the most sturdy, but it’s fun……
What a cool idea, Ticia. I really don’t think any of it needs to be sturdy to tell the truth. I can only handle having milk jug armor around my house for a couple of weeks before it takes it’s last trip to the trash anyway…
Very cute idea. I bet our boys would love that.
Angi recently posted..Random Ramblings
My boys would love this. I am bookmarking your site for reference. I am always looking for homeschool printables.
Stopping by from the 100 Comments event.
http://www.AsToldByLisa.com
Lisa recently posted..Ten surefire ways to get your blog noticed
Thanks Lisa, we hope to see you again soon. We try to post lots of great family-friendly learning activities all the time. (: And we always have new printables coming out too.
By the way, you’re post about improving your blog was terrific. I already added comment luv to our site, and am also going to take your advice and comment on 4 posts for every 1 I write. Thank you!
What a great idea. It’s so fun to make something great out of throw-away materials. I’m sure you all had a great time with your armor.
Elizabeth recently posted..Pick Me! Pick Me!
Nice to get an extra use out of things before chucking them. Plus, I love using things we have around the house for projects — saves some cash! Thanks for stopping by!
So great that you have “props” to go along with educational lessons. Kids sure to learn better when they can see it in action. Tks for sharing your niche!
Lisa recently posted..Apparently, uninterrupted sleep for the lesser evolved
Cool idea! Reminds me of when I was young. We used to make stuff like this.
dawn recently posted..My Guest Post on BlogPaws- Using Pinterest for Your Blog
Yeah, in school we did lots of cool projects as kids. Sometimes in homeschooling I get burnt out and realize it’s been a long time since we did something super fun. A little preparation makes us all excited about school again.
What a great idea and very creative! I used to love doing this kind of thing with my kids.
Thanks, Janis. Kids absolutely love hands on projects like this and it makes the stuff they learn really stick.
What a great use of resources. You are teaching the kids a double lesson: 1. history lesson 2. reuse recycle the things in your home!
Great job….
Pamela
Still Dating My Spouse
http://stilldatingmyspouse.com
Visiting via the 100 comment blog hop!
Pamela recently posted..To Sex or Not To Sex
Yeah, and it teaches me a lesson too . . . patience. Thanks for the comment, Pamela.
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda recently posted..Early Morning Sunrise and Peanut Butter Pie
How adorable! That looks like great fun. I’m sure the learning was more meaningful.
Peace and good.
Chelle recently posted..Been doing it all wrong…
Great idea and I bet they are fun to make, too? My kids would love these! Thanks for sharing!!
Deanna recently posted..Baked Apples
How creative you are! Clever lady, indeed. Thanks for the great tips. Deb
You have such great ideas and are a great resource!
esther recently posted..Discovering the Me in Mommy
Intersting activity! I’m sure your kids really enjoyed this!
Mystery Shopping Teacher recently posted..Mystery Shopping Scammer Caught by FBI
My homeschooling days are over, but I wish I would have had your blog when I was HSing. Great, creative ideas.
Healthy Frugalista recently posted..(Almost) Free Books
Oh my goodness! Those milk jug helmets are too cool! My sons would LOVE that!
Julie@teachinggoodeaters.com recently posted..The Only Problem With A Child Who Will Eat Anything…
THat looks so neat. I would have never thought of that and I taught first grade.
Women Are Gamechangers recently posted..50 Ways to Be a Better You for the Summer
Very neat project!
Amanda recently posted..DIY Gift Bags
With 3 boys in our house these would be a great idea. Who would have thought those were once milk jugs? Thanks.
Nichole @ readitagainmama.com recently posted..Lucky Beans by Becky Birtha
That looks like so much fun
I am bookmarking this to do with my kids – they love any type of dress up and pretend play.
Jessie recently posted..nay et al Boutique Clothing
Hope they have a great time! It’s hard not to when you’re a milk jug knight!
Great idea…I’m already trying to figure out when we will be studying knights in our curriculum so I can include this! I am going to follow and pin this for sure!
Sparta Savings recently posted..My 100 Comments Post!
Thanks! We love pinterest and we love new followers even more! Hopefully we’ll see lots of you and get to know each other. You can follow Karen on pinterest for lots of cool home and teaching ideas.
wow that is the coolest project! What a way to learn about historical battles and soldiers! Love it!
JulieK recently posted..I challenge you to Coupon For Good!
I have two boys (4 &3) who would LOVE this! Their favorite pretend play is with guns, swords, and their super heroes. If I were to explain and show pictures what the armor was used for- game over- I would be nagged until I made these. Perhaps I should start saving up milk jugs…
Great idea and thanks for sharing!
That is incredibly creative! I would never have thought of something like this! I bet they had a ball!
Colette recently posted..Help for the Tornado Victims
How cool! My daughter would get such a kick out of this. She loves dress up, especially if there is something to put on her head, she loves hats and helmets! Love your site and can’t wait to find more cool stuff on your blog!
Kelsey recently posted..Freebie Friday 3/2/2012
Well, that’s creative. Looks like your boys really enjoyed their crafts!
Single Gal recently posted..Ten Upcoming Recipes
I love the idea! I’m impressed how you are making history come to life for your boys. I’m following your site!
Cambria recently posted..House-wife Home-School
So glad to have you Cambria! We love new followers.
What a cool idea! I’ll be back to check out your h/s printables.
Mona recently posted..Why A Pop-Up?
How fun and what a neat idea. Milk jugs are great for SO many crafts and things like this!! Thanks for showing me a new one.
Stacy King recently posted..Coupon Network | NEW "Like" Rewards = Higher Value coupons
Love it! Signing up to follow you – can’t wait to see more creative ideas!
Amy recently posted..Hugs and Kisses Banana Bread Pancakes
Love the milk carton armor!!! Great lesson. I always find it so fun to learn by doing or actually traveling to places. Not sure if I’m going to be up to homeschooling my daughter. We shall see how the next couple of years go but if I do I hope I can be as innovative as you.
Very resourceful! I can never think of creating playthings out of those!
isis recently posted..Water Bottle Giveaway at Dr. Oz
Very nice. I am going to share with my homeschool group.
Staci recently posted..Pictures Anyone?
I could use this in my Beginner’s class at church! By the way, how did you get your menu to link to pictures like that? I’d love to know!!
Tami @ ThisMomsDelight.com recently posted..The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen {Kindle Fire Giveaway}
Oooh, for church a favorite of ours is the giant goliath drawn on butcher paper. Attach sticky back velcro to various places on Goliath, then attach the opposite pieces of velcro to ping pong balls. The kids try to get the ping pong balls to stick to big ol’ Goliath. (:
We have the very talented Wayne Connor to thank for the image menu. You can go check out the basic theme template here, though we customized it a lot.
Love this idea! We will be making armor out of milk jugs soon! I am not sure if we will homeschool or not, but I will definitely check out your curriculum – and I plan to use your geography printables to take along on our trips! Thanks
Our units are also just great for extra learning fun with your kids. They have lots of cool experiments and great activities any family would enjoy. We’re travelers too…my husband is a pilot and we’re always looking forward to our next adventure. Nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by.
I’m really impressed with how you make learning fun for your kids.
stacy recently posted..A Very Epic Post
Great article! I love this idea.
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