Homesteading and the Renfaire

Small's future career., a photo by EMPhelan on Flickr.

I know, what? Simply just about everything we do on a homestead happens at the faire.

I took all three boys, Small, Medium, and Large to the local Renfaire today. Needless to say, they had a blast. They commented on the soaps, and candles, even had me tell them the type of weave used to make a piece of chaimaille amour.

Small discovered his love of the war horse. After the jousting, he donated his hard earned dollar to help feed the horses. We talked about how these horses also would plow fields, and pull wagons, and were companions. Similar to what we do with our own horses, or what we did with our horse.

Medium made a new friend. An older gentleman that was a woodworker. Medium was fascinated by the process, told the man that we had any of the same hand tools. The two sat and talked for a long while. He taught Medium how to make a woven wooden stool. Even explained how the wooden sword that Medium purchase, scabbard as well, was made.

Large beelined it to the blacksmith, as he himself has been learning the trade. But then the sword fights began. Large has a mentor now, by the name of Baron. He will be able to show Large skills I do not possess, leather working, blacksmithing, and cudgel fighting.

Today the boys learned that the skills that we have taught them and other lost skills that they can pick up, are not mere work, but something they can enjoy and possible make some money at.