Saskatoon Veteran, Kevin Hicks, teaches kids about history

The origins of the Remembrance Poppy

Who was the Unknown Warrior? 

Bringing history to life in small town Saskatchewan. Following a request to bring some interest to a Middle Ages topic for Dinsmore Composite School, we recently delivered an online workshop to 21, Grade 9 students via Zoom, and were so blown away by the feedback we just had to share it. Here are the comments from teacher, Karen Blackwell Jones and her students. Kevin Hicks' Medieval Times presentation was engaging, entertaining, and enlightening. He solidified students' learning and added great bits of trivia and enriching stories that one would never find in a textbook...interesting material that makes history memorable to students. Kevin's presentation was perfectly crafted to appeal to the Grade 9 mindset: he was funny and grabbed students' attention with wit and humour, but he was also so clearly experienced and knowledgeable that students couldn't help but be engaged. His prowess with the longbow and crossbow ensured that everyone paid attention...and the little bit of gore in his King Henry story made a great impression!! All the kids were impressed with his story, his wisdom, and his skills...and all the students commented on how funny Mr. Hicks is! We will invite Kevin to join our classroom again virtually as soon as possible, and I hope we can welcome him live to our school soon so they can meet him in person and see his skills in action firsthand. Here is a compilation of the kids' comments: “What I liked”: I liked all the stuff from Medieval times that Mr. Hicks showed: the flute, sword, bows, and different shapes of an arrowhead. My favourite parts would be when you would smile and give a thumbs-up when you made a funny comment! I liked your humour and I liked your props that you used in your presentation. I liked the jokes and Mr. Hicks’ enthusiasm. Everything we learned was quite interesting, and I found everything pretty insightful. Looking at history books and stuff is cool, but I like that he kind of had a different take on things and some cool stories to tell. I liked how you put humour into your explanations and how you can make the presentation enjoyable. I liked how entertaining the presentation was. The information that we learned gave us a wider knowledge of the Middle Ages, and the jokes that were thrown in during the presentation were hilarious! Mr. Hicks was very informative, clever, and funny. I enjoyed his Middle Ages presentation. I loved the whole presentation! It was very interesting and taught me many things I probably would have gone my whole life not knowing about! I enjoyed watching you shoot your crossbow and longbow, and I wish we could have seen you do it in person. You’re very good! It was very fun to watch, and I was never bored. All the jokes made it very entertaining! “What I learned”: I learned that honey can treat your wound, that there are different types of arrows, that arrows are DEADLY, and the story about King Henry V who was hit by an arrow to the face during battle! I learned a lot: all the weapons and armour, castles, all the information about the Middle Ages. I feel now that I know more about this. I learned that as a woman in the Middle Ages, you could be anything…depending on what your husband did. I learned just how helpful pure honey can really be in medicine, and a lot about how castles work. I also learned some cool things about weapons, armour, and war in the Middle Ages. I learned how to use those Medieval crossbows and longbows, and about how they used to do things back in the Middle Ages. I learned how they operate their territorial grounds, what they did with manure back in the day, how strong the armour was, and the story of King Henry V. I learned about the weapons used in the Middle Ages such as the longbow and crossbow. I also learned about how they performed surgeries in Medieval times. I learned about the food that was eaten by people in the Middle Ages. I learned about how in a battle the men who shot the large crossbow needed cover because it took a long time to load. I also learned that honey is an amazing healing source back in Medieval times when they didn’t have antibiotics. I learned how powerful an arrow…even without an arrowhead…can be (Don’t challenge a bowman!) “What could have made this presentation better”: Nothing because it was amazing. Keep on trucking, buddy! I loved that presentation. I'd like to have heard what every level in society wore and what it was made out of. I found it pretty enjoyable, so I would only suggest adding a few more examples. It would have been cool if we got to see you using the weapons in person. Probably if it was in person, but because of Covid this presentation was really good. Maybe if you said a little more about yourself, for example how old you were when you became a soldier and police officer, but other than that, it was great! (I loved your dog!) Kevin has delivered thousands of dynamic presentations and workshops around the world for over 25 years, and continues to do so. If you’d like to talk about a presentation for your Social Studies class, either virtually or in-school, contact History Squad and bring history to life.

Live, online webinars for your classroom. I was recently asked by Julie Hrynchyshyn, a grade 7 teacher with the Online Learning School in Saskatoon, if I could visit her class one morning. They were doing the “Land and the People” Social Studies unit, and in addition to talking about treaties and the colonization of Canada they were exploring immigration and what influences where people choose to live. I had to rack my brains a bit and consider how I could really engage the students, but after a while a couple of ideas formed. So, after agreeing the content with Julie, she sent me a Zoom link and just after registration one morning in February, I joined the students in their online class. It's always a joy for me to help students learn and share history and my experiences with them, so when I get feedback like this, I feel especially honoured to be doing what I do. “We really enjoyed your presentation! I thought it was so well planned and really interesting. I loved that you brought items to show the kids and things they never would have a chance to see in a school setting! You did a really great job of explaining the language barrier when treaties were being negotiated and explaining some of the reasons why people might have moved to a new country. I will be able to refer back to your presentation as we continue to learn about people’s movement around the world. Thank you so much for sharing your story with my class. It was such a valuable experience for them!" I filled out your survey as well. 1. The image/live-stream was good . 2. The sound was very good . 3. What impact did the presentation have on the students? In what way do you feel it benefitted them? I think it is just so valuable for students to learn about history and it was great how you were able to bring your own personal story into it. This just made it feel more real and present for the kids. You’re a great storyteller and were able to use that skill to explain so much rich information in a way the kids could really understand it. 4. How well did the presentation meet your expectations? It was better than expected 5. Would you consider any other topics History Squad presents e.g.: WW1, Medieval History, the History of Medicine or the Romans? Yes, I would definitely have another presentation in the future and would recommend then to other teachers. 6. If you were to book another talk in the future, is there anything you would want to change? The more visuals the better. The kids seemed very excited about all the items you shared with them! If you have any historical photos or images they would love that kind of thing as well I think. I had my students reflect on what they enjoyed. Here are a few of their comments! “I found it interesting that he knew so much about how and why Saskatoon was formed. I also thought all the medals he had were cool.” “I found the gladius interesting as I enjoy history. I learned that it was called a gladius because gladius is sword in Roman.” “I liked hearing about his family history.” “I thought that it was interesting when he showed his rifle and the letter that he got from the queen. I learnt that when the First Nations asked for a medicine chest they meant a clinic and not just a chest full of basic medicines.” “I liked the pipe he showed us!" (This is one of my First Nations students. We have talked about the pipe and some of its purposes in class prior to this as well. I could tell that she really appreciated that you were able to show some of her culture to our class. She often talks about it and I could see her excited that you included some indigenous items.) “One cool thing was that Kevin Hicks belonged from a lot of cultures and backgrounds. The Roman sword that he showed us was cool. The rifle he showed us seemed to be old.” “I found it super cool. I think it was a great experience to meet somebody who served for the British. I liked him talking about the stuff they used, And why they were fighting.”” “I thought it was really cool that he has all of those artifacts.” “I think it was interesting to hear about his family line and the letter written by the indigenous people.” “I found it interesting that he has been all over Canada and has met so many cool people before.” “I thought that it was interesting to have the opportunity to listen to someone who has a lot of knowledge about some of the topics we were learning. I think that it was especially interesting how he talked about what his experience was in Britain and war and all of that.” “This was one of the best presentations I have ever heard, everything he said was interesting and attention-grabbing. It was an amazing story when he told us about him going to war, being a police officer, saving people from a burning house, receiving a letter and a medal from the queen etc. He was very clear and concise when he was talking about his ancestry and Canadian history. It was very cool and interesting when he showed us his roman sword, rifle, bows and arrows, his pipe that was gifted to him and you could see a very cool roman helmet in the background. I also liked how he taught us not just Canadian history, but European history when he was talking about his ancestry. I learned a lot but one the that I learned was that a roman sword was called a gladius and that you didn't need to slash with the sword but only poke the enemy a few inches with it. Overall he knocked it out of the park. One question I forgot to ask was what his favorite kind of history to teach and learn about is." I'll be sure to include as many artifacts, models and images as I possibly can in future presentations, and would like to give a big thanks to Julie Hrynchyshyn and all her Grade 7 students for inviting me into their classroom. By Kevin Hicks Kevin has delivered thousands of dynamic presentations and workshops around the world for over 25 years. If you’d like to talk about a presentation for your Social Studies class, feel free to contact History Squad.

There's no doubt about it, I'm lucky, I’m a born storyteller. It's a talent that’s helped me develop a business and career as a Historical Interpreter, which has lasted over twenty-five years and taken me to schools and historical sites around the world. Teachers know that telling a great story is a fantastic way to engage youngsters, and not just in social studies. But imagine how much more engaged students will be if an actual character from the story is there in the classroom speaking to them, and better still has actual objects from history for students to touch and feel. From Robin Hood to a soldier in the Trenches of World War One I’ve appeared in classrooms backed up with a trunk full of simple artefacts telling fascinating stories and tales from the past. My Roman legionary character has a kit bag full of personal objects; a simple sponge on a stick always causes a stir but added together with a picture of Roman soldiers in the latrines and a story, stimulates lively dialogue. Then as we discuss how and why the sponge works and compare our modern habits to those from history, students can relate their own lives to those of the Romans and understand the past better. I use replica artefacts so they can be handed out and handled by the students. The artefacts promote conversation and open up topics for further investigation later. It’s delightful to watch students hold different objects, puzzle over them and ask questions. I’ve had many wonderful experiences of being with students and discussing objects as they handle them. I once handed a sword (blunt obviously) to a young boy who was blind and watched his face light up as he examined it. However, my favourite era for artefacts has to be the Roman. I especially love the sponge on a stick. I have two of them, cheaply made, and hand them out to the students to examine, before explaining that they were used instead of toilet paper. This sparks great discussion as to who was the cleanest, us or the Romans, we even talk about sustainability and recycling concerning the use of resources for toilet paper. Whilst artefacts on their own promote engagement, it’s not enough to simply hand an object out in class and discuss what it is. Engagement is so much more powerful if you can regale a story behind it. Making comparisons to today’s objects works too, as it enables students to make a connection and relate the past to the present. Replica artefacts need not be expensive. Try your local museums to find out if they have a lend and learn policy whereby they will send you an artefacts box on loan. Making your own artefacts is another cost-effective way to engage students, such as a Roman sponge on a stick, it’s easy to make as it is just a small piece of sponge fastened to a stick. Search on Google or Pinterest for pictures. There are manufacturers of replica artefacts all over the world who make everyday objects from history as well as the more expensive, look out for secondhand items too, as there’s often a bargain to be found. At schools, with my WWI presentation, I use hats to show the countries involved in the conflict. I call up a group of willing volunteers and form them in a line. Each is given a different soft, army surplus cap representing Britain, Germany, Austria, Russia, and France with Belgium standing on the end next to Serbia. As I run through the events that led up to the outbreak of war mentioning the different countries, each student steps forward as I call their country’s name. It’s a really fun activity that engages the students and gets them thinking about who was involved and how. Before I used hats, I used paper flags which students held up and waved when it was their turn. Flags can be made quickly and cheaply by sourcing and printing images of the flags from the internet and attaching to a stick or ruler. Another way I use replicas is with a Roman shield. A great project is to have children make and paint their own Roman shield in advance, after which, I drill them as a class in Latin using Roman commands. This is an awesome activity and we often find that students who don’t know their left from right learn it very quickly, but in Latin! Even simply presenting an object and asking what it is, or what does, creates dialogue and can open up a lesson. There’s no doubt this kind of experiential learning has huge benefits and without replica artefacts and costume I would not have achieved half the success I have in schools. Just remember, artefacts don’t have to be expensive or complicated, the simpler the better………… just make sure you have a great story to back it up. Kevin’s mission is to teach history dynamically and memorably. He has delivered thousands of presentations and workshops around the world for over 25 years. Now living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Kevin tours schools and venues throughout North America with his special brand of history. If you would like more information about History Squad’s workshops or a quote, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to call or use the contact form on the website historysquad.ca History | Social Studies | Teacher | Artefacts | Schools