EXPERTS in York are opening up a treasure chest of free Viking-themed activities for schools to delve into.

Weapons, silk, ivory and poetry will all feature in the Jorvik Viking Thing: Schools’ Week when it runs online and live from February 14 to 18.

The award-winning education team at Jorvik Viking Centre is inviting teachers all over the country and beyond to join the free week, with content remaining online until February 27.

Jorvik has a school visits and virtual outreach programme, offering fun and stimulating content to schools across the world free of charge.

Schools’ Week was first held in February 2021 in response to schools having to limit physical trips due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The week in 2022 has been extended to feature a full week’s worth of educational sessions, including an introductory video each day and a live-streamed presentation linked to the theme every afternoon.

“During Schools’ Week last year, we engaged with more than 1000 teachers across the country, and received some fantastic feedback," said interpretation and engagement manager, Frances Bennett.

"This year, we’re hosting a full week of activities with something different every day around the theme of Viking Treasure, looking at the things the Vikings valued most.

“Over the course of the week, we’ll be looking at weapons, silver, ivory, silk and poetry – a genuine treasure chest of subjects."

Teachers will be provided with links to the online content, as well as downloadable resources and ideas to implement during the week.

“We’re hoping that most participating schools will be able to join us for the live streams, but we understand that different priorities, and indeed, term dates, might make this impossible, so all of the content will remain online for the following week, too,” said Fran.

“This will help our international participants to manage time differences, with the live streams available to watch on demand within minutes of them concluding, and also enable domestic teachers to take advantage of Schools’ Week, even if they have other commitments at set times during the week.”

Schools’ Week gives educators a taste of The Jorkik Group’s extensive virtual outreach programme, which offers schools live sessions with a Viking, medieval citizen or archaeologist via a video link, giving pupils a chance to interact with an expert on a wide range of subjects, from migration to environmental issues.

The week is primarily aimed at children in Key Stage 2, although content will be of interest for older pupils, too. Teachers who have registered for the week will be granted early access to the material in the week prior to help with planning.

For more information, or to register for Schools’ Week, please visit jorvikthing.com/sw2022