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.

History Squad is now offering webinars! Capturing the energy of in-person workshops, our webinars deliver top-notch history lessons through interactive storytelling that keeps students engaged. From the comfort of home or the classroom, students will be transported to a historical era to learn about life that time. History Squad webinars are: • Delivered by historical expert Kevin Hicks in an entertaining format that includes lively discussion, interactive polls, and unique artifacts • Customisable for your curriculum to maximise student learning • Tailored for your location whether in Canada, the UK, or USA • Low cost; no subscription required • Perfect for building students’ knowledge of historical events AND helping them appreciate why history matters today • Recorded so you can watch a replay at your convenience How does it work? It's simple, just choose a workshop and contact us to book a private session just for your class OR browse our upcoming scheduled series of live webinars. With a private session for a class or group, we can customise a workshop to suit the curriculum theme and the age and ability of the audience. Once a date is arranged, simply invite History Squad to join your online classroom using Zoom, Google Classroom or any other platform you use. We really love to see and interact with students, so we would encourage as many as possible to join with video, this way, they'll have the chance to see artifacts in detail and quiz our expert. Our scheduled webinars are perfect for homeschooling and remote learning. Delivered via Crowdcast, the webinar will consist of an engaging livestream from the History Squad studio. Children will have the opportunity to ask questions, participate in polls, and see artifacts up close. All sessions are recorded and made available to registered participants after the event. Let’s bring history to life! Browse workshops now and contact us for a booking.

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