So the past few weeks we’ve been studying Vikings. Joe has been enthralled with them lately, especially the old Norse Mythology. I found this very interesting because, while I know a good bit about Greek and Roman tales, I knew nothing about the Norse gods. Joe especially liked d’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths. It is an old edition that isn’t even on Amazon, but worth looking up. So we learned how the Norsemen traveled from Scandinavia outward thanks to The Story of the World Part II. This included the settling of Normandy and Vineland (now New Foundland). There were some nice make yourself projects with this section as opposed to others (my only major complaint with the series). We also used our Usborne Internet -linked Encyclopedia. There were some great challenging games and info sites. We got a lot of info on day to day living from Adventures with Vikings. Lots of cool cartoon style pictures with little captions, good for younger ones too. I always like to do a literature connection so he read a translation of Beowulf. I can’t figure out if he liked it or not. Fortuitously, our latest copy of Dig Magazine came this past week and is all about vikings. Cool archealogical info, I love that magazine. To cap off our extravaganza we held a feast with turkey legs, peas, and potatoes (instead of cabbage that no one would touch). The kids got to eat with their hands and Joe told us what he had learned. This has been a nice way to review wth him as well as give what he does meaning. He loves to teach us and offer his analysis of history. His opinion of vikings? I am so glad you asked. He thinks they got a bad rap in history. “They were certainly not the only culture to travel around pillaging other places, they just excelled at it. When you are the best, others get jealous and say bad stuff about you.” Nothing like clarification from a 9 year old. Joe even dressed up as Thor the god of Thunder for Halloween. His costume was awesome if I do say so myself, fur cape and all. From here we are moving on to England. Since we’re not following the history book in order we made a big timeline out of butcher paper and add to it as we go. This helps keep things in perspective while allowing us to explore a culture more fully.
We are also taking a break from division and doing some geometry. If I come across anything good, I ‘ll pass it on, and vice versa please. And thanks for the mention from A Room of One’s Own. I am so glad you enjoyed the cell cake, except yours looked better than mine! Good for you for not getting bullied into chocolate cytoplasm. 
Cheers!
Your study of Vikings sounds terrific.