Middle Ages celebrated at museum

Caitlin Hudgins

Friday, June 25, 2004 | 4:17 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

June 26 - 27, 2004

When: 10 a.m. To 5 p.m. daily through Aug. 29.

Where: Lied Discovery Children's Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Cost: $6 for adults; $5 for children 1-17, seniors and military families; free for children under 1.

Not many daytime summer activities welcome their guests with a giant green dragon dancing to medieval tunes at the top of a castle tower.

But that is the greeting visitors get at the Amazing Castle, an exhibit that opened last month at the Lied Discovery Children's Museum to teach children about the Middle Ages.

Visitors must wake up Herald the dragon, who lies asleep at the entrance to the exhibit, by matching a picture of each of five medieval workers to images of five sets of corresponding tools. Once the correct answers are entered, Herald stands up to greet children with Renaissance music.

After receiving their official welcome from the village dragon, kids can visit the Royal Workshops and play assistant to various artisans.

Children love to dress up as members of the medieval community and act out their parts, spokeswoman Wendy Adams said.

"Role-playing gives them a better perspective of what it was like in medieval times and a better understanding of the role everyone plays in the community as a whole," she said.

The first stop on the path through the Middle Ages is Trim the tailor's shop, where children can try on different outfits of the period. Next door, visitors can build tables and chairs at Gable the carpenter's shop. The last of the shops belongs to Synge the blacksmith, who helps children hammer shoes onto a horse's hoof.

At the far end of the exhibit, children arrive at the Great Hall and Garden, where they can assist Kipper the cook and Posey the gardener.

After a meal for the king and queen, older children can put on a show in the Royal Puppet Theatre with Hijinx the jester. In the middle of the square, toddlers can build fortresses out of "stone" blocks or play with a doll house in the Keep.

On Saturdays children can learn about drawing, dancing and music from local artists.

Workshops include writing in calligraphy, creating mosaic art and making soap.

Hands-on workshops are important to improving visitors' understanding of history, Adams said.

"It was simple back then, but kids don't know about churning butter," she said, because they can just buy it at the store today.

To demonstrate such techniques, the exhibit will be staffed by 40 members of the duchy of Albion, a Renaissance guild dressed in costume to teach children about the Middle Ages. The group will also present demonstrations on medieval armor, the history of archery and fencing techniques.

The traveling exhibit was created by the Minnesota Children's Museum for the Youth Exhibit Collaborative and will travel to six other states, Canada and Mexico.