Now with even more fun and Celtivity

theCeltThe Celt is the Copyright of Celtic Harmony Educationc

April - May Edition

Inside:

Are youCelt or Roman? Can you F ind Barnie?

Cook like a Celt!Preparing a Fire area

Win an ArcheryExperience!

For more Celtivity join the enews at celticharmony.org

Manachar (Luca) and Arian (Clare) & the clan...

celticharmony.org

Beltane bonfires!... Welcome to the new edition of The Celt! This is the time of year known as ‘shoots-show’ in the Celtic calendar, when the crops begin to appear in the f ields and the buds open. At the Camp the geese have started laying eggs now that the days are getting longer, a pair of wild ducks has returned to nest for another year by the woodland pondand the lambs are being born!Like all farmers, the Celts depended on the weather for their crops to grow successfully. A sudden blast of frost or snow could damage or even kill the new shoots coming up in the f ields. If the wheat didn’t grow there would not be enough grain to make bread, so how would they survive? To encourage the sun to grow stronger, and to chase away winter, Celtic communities held a f ire festival called Beltane. At the beginning of May they built massive bonf ires. The roundhouse f ires were put out then relit from the Beltane f ires, and people celebrated with feasting, games and storytelling. We celebrate Beltane on 6 May this year with our own Beltane bonf ire, longbow archery, games, music and crafts. Our last festival was so popular we had to turn people away on the day, so this year it is pre-booked places only. Visit celticharmony.org/events or call 01438 718543 to guarantee your great day out on Bank Holiday Monday, 6 May.

Bringthis issue

of the Celt tothe Beltane Festival

for a FREE Have-a-go Archery session (Conditions will apply)

PREPARING A FIRE AREA...whether it’s a big community bonf ire for Firework Night or a small campf ire preparing a f ire area is a skilful business! They have to be carefully constructed so they burn well and don’t collapse or spread. Here’s how you do it... 1. Prepare a safe site for your f ire. There should be no trees nearby and no overhanging branches. With a spade, clear an area about 1 metre across down to the bare earth, and remove all burnable material at least four metres away. (If you dig out turfs you can sprinkle them with water and replace them after you’ve had your f ire, once the ashes are cold.)2. Lay four big logs to contain the f ire. Do not use stones: they are dangerous because when they get hot they can crack and explode3. Keep a bucket of water or sand/soil close by in case you have a problem and need to put the f ire out 4. Collect the three types of burnable material you will need: Tinder – dry grass, pine needles, thistle tops, wood shavings, the papery white surface of silver birch bark – enough to f ill your hat, if you have one! Kindling – dry, dead twigs no thicker than a pencil – at least twice as much as the tinder you collected. Firewood – dry, dead sticks you f ind on the ground, between as thin as your f inger and as thick as your arm. Wood from conifers (evergreens like pine trees) burns particularly well. Do not use green, living wood: it is full of moisture & will not burn properly – in fact you’ll just get a lot of thick smelly smoke.

REMEMBER: FIRES MUST NOT BE LIT WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION AND MUST NEVER BE LEFT UNATTENDED.Oh – and don’t forget the hedgehogs! If you build a f ire and leave it (unlit) for a day or so, the chances are a hedgehog will have moved in with its family. Please check carefully so you don’t have roast hedgehog, though it’s quite possible it was on the Celtic menu...

celticharmony.org/forestschool

Now that you know how to build the f ire area... ...why not learn how to light a f ire safely with us at the

Celtic Harmony Forest School programme at

Who will be the f irst of you and your friends to reach the Owl?A game for 2 or more players. You will need a dice and a small pebble or counter for each player. Whoever throws the highest number starts.If you land on an owl feather, double the number you threw on the dice: so if you threw a 3, move 6 squares. The winner is the f irst to reach Barnie by an exact throw of the dice. So, if you’re 3 squares away from him and throw a 5 you must move 3 forward and 2 back, and keep going until you throw exactly the right number. Good luck, and good hunting!

Can you find Barnie the Barn Owl?

1Starthere

4

3

2

6

5Phaelon is takingArchery practice

Go back tostart!

98

710

11You f ind an owl

pellet!Go forward3 spaces!

33

32You are attacked

by a raven!Go back 3 spaces!

34

Birds of Prey moult 1 feather at a time: 1 from the left

wing and, when it grows back, 1 from the right. Otherwise their f light would be off balance!

35You f ind one of

Barnie’s feathers...Go forward2 spaces!

Meet Barnie when you organise your day out to the Beltane festival

This is anactual map of CelticHarmony camp. Detail is subject to change...

36

Owl Pelletsare about 4 cm long

and made up ofregurgitated fur and

bone fragments...

14

1913

21

18

17

16

24Take short cut

over bridgeMove to

29

15You stop forsome lunch...Miss a go!

28 252627

23

3031

37

36

39

Well doneYou have Won!

12

22

38

29

You can tell...if a small bird has been eaten by a bird of prey, like an owl, rather than a fox. The owl plucks the feathers of its prey using

its beak: the fox will chew the ends of

the feathers. 20You f ind some

small bird feathersGo forward2 spaces!

on Bank holiday Monday 6th May at: celticharmony.org/events

Owl Pellet Actual size

Can you find Barniethe Barn Owl?

1 1You f ind an owl

pellet!Go forward3 spaces!

Cooklike a Celt with Lavina

Cooklike a Celt with Lavina

Celti

cHar

mon

yCam

p

Drop scones, or Scotch pancakes, are simple, delicious and fun to make – you can even cook them in a pan

over an outdoor fire once the flames have died down. Pancakes in various shapes and forms have been

around for well over a thousand years, and different versions are found all over the world. The Ancient Celts

would have used wheat flour or oatmeal, butter, milk and honey. The milk and butter would have come from sheep or

goats, and they might have added an egg to make the scone lighter.

Here’s our modern take on an ancient recipe, m which makes just enough for one:m

1. In a mug mix together 3 tablespoons of self-raising flour (or plain flour with a pinch of

bicarbonate of soda), half a tablespoon of sugar and enough milk to make a thick, not too runny, mixture.

2. Grease a non-stick frying pan with a little butterand place over a medium heat.

3. When the pan is warm pour in three blobs of mixture and cook for about a minute, until small bubbles start to

appear on the surface of the mixture. Then flip them over with a spatula and cook until the other side is golden brown.

4. Spread with honey and eat while nice and warm.You can use white or brown flour (the Celts wouldn’t have

had white flour – or sugar) and you can sprinkle a few blueberries or dried fruits into the mixture if you like.

For more Celtic recipes

Do you like tospend time

out of doors?

Do you like towear bright

colours?

Do you likemaking things?

Could you livewithout hot

baths?

Do you enjoyreading and

writing?

Could you livewithout yourcomputer?

uNo

u

u

u Do you likebeing tidy &organised?

Yes

uNo

NoYes

uYes

Are you goodat learningby heart?

uNo uYes

uYes

No

You would behappier

staying in the 21stCentury!

u

u

Yes

uNo

You would be happy

as a Romangoing toSchool,

being tidyand taking

regular baths!

You would f it in well with the ancientCelts! You like to use your handsand enjoy ourf lamboyantstyle of dress.

uNo

u

Nou

Yesu

Yes

Roman children(especially boys)

had to go to school to learn to read and write!

The Celts were famous for their love of bright colours andjewellery - men as well as women!

Celts and Romans had very different lifestyles! Try our fun quiz to discover where you would f it in the ancient world!Start here...

join our enews at celticharmony.org

Are you a

Organise your School trip online or on 01438 718 543

celticschools.org

Celtic Harmony is a non profit organisation promoting a better understanding of the natural world through school trips and events at Celtic Harmony Camp, the Iron Age settlement near Hertford.

Archery competition! Win an experience for2 at the Archery Barn

Just answer this simple question:“How many ‘cock’ feathers are there in an arrow?”

Send us your answer by the 31 May 2013 by messaging us on: mmCelticHarmonyCampThe first correct answer picked out of the helmet wins!

CelticHarmonyCamp @Celtic_Harmony

Smell, touch, hear and see Iron Age Britain