Learning About Norway

Norway was such a fun country to learn about. We tried Norwegian chocolate, made potato flatbread, learned about the Aurora Borealis, made our own Viking picture stones, and lots more!

Basic Information:

Norway is a country in northern Europe. It shares a border with Sweden, Finland, Russia, the North Sea, and the Norwegian Sea. Norway is mainly mountains and high plateaus, split up by fertile valleys. The coastline has deep indentations called fjords. Western Norway, along the coast, is rainy with cool summers and mild winters. The eastern inland region of the country has less rain, warm summers, and very cold winters.

Capital: Oslo

Population: 5.4 million

Size: 149,000 square miles

Currency: Norwegian krone

Type of Government: Parliamentary democracy/ constitutional monarchy

Flag:

National Anthem: Ja Vi Elsker Dette Landet

National Animal: Lion

Famous Places and Monuments

Geirangerfjord- Fjords are narrow bodies of water off the ocean that extend deeply inland. They are usually formed by glacial activity. Norway has many fjords along it's coastline. Geirangerfjord is one of Norway's most famous natural attractions. It's known for it's beautiful waterfalls and stunning cliffs. You can watch a short video tour here: Geirangerfjord Norway.

Viking Ship Museum-The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo houses 3 viking age burial ships. For a short virtual tour check out this video: Viking Ship Museum.

Akershus Fortress- Akershus Fortress is a medieval castle located in Oslo. It was built to provide protection and a royal residence for the city in the late 1200's. To learn more about the history of Oslo and to see parts of the fortress, check out this wonderful video from Travel Thru History: Oslo, Norway, and Akershus Castle.

Recipes

Here are a few Norwegian recipes to try:

Norwegian Potato Flatbread

Norwegian Meatballs

Norwegian Butter Cookies

Crafts

Aurora Borealis Craft

Norway is one of the best places in the world to view the aurora borealis. The auroras are colorful lights that can be seen in the night sky in the northern and southern regions of the world. They are caused by charged particles released from the sun colliding with gaseous molecules in Earth's atmosphere. If your interested in learning more about the auroras and what causes them, check out these videos:

-Aurora Borealis Explained from truemaskedwabbit

-What Causes Auroras? from SciShow

After we spent a morning learning about the auroras and watching some neat video footage of them, we made some aurora art.

For this activity you will need:

-Black construction paper

-Colored chalk

-A black marker

Start by drawing some squiggly lines with chalk across the black paper and then use your finger to smear the chalk outward from the squiggles. Green is the most common color seen in the auroras, but they can also be pink, blue, and yellow.

You can add stars by making tiny dots with white chalk around the edges of your page.

Next, use the black marker to draw trees or mountains at the bottom of your page.

Viking Picture Stone Craft

The Vikings were a group of seafaring Norseman from the area now known as Scandinavia. They lived in the 9th through the 11th centuries. The Vikings are famous for their explorations and managed to travel as far west as the eastern coast of modern day Canada. The Vikings were fierce warriors who often raided and attacked other European settlements. You can learn more about Viking history with these resources:

-A Brief History of the Viking Age from VC3 Productions

-10 Facts About the Vikings from National Geographic Kids

The Vikings erected stone memorials with pictures and inscriptions on them in remembrance of important events and people. The stones usually had pictures depicting important battles or had inscriptions describing important events. The Vikings had their own alphabet known as "runor". These stones were sometimes placed near grave sites, but were more often placed on roadsides where they would be seen and visited frequently.

The Vikings carved their pictures and words into large stones, but you can make your own simple picture stones or rune stones with paint and permanent markers.

For this activity you will need:

-Smooth stones big enough to paint a small picture or write a word on

-White acrylic paint

-A black permanent marker

-Modge Podge

Start by painting your stones completely with the white paint. Then set them aside to dry.

While the stones dry, take a few minutes to look at pictures of picture stones and rune stones and decide what you want to draw on your stones. Here are a few links to give you some ideas:

-Top 10 Viking Symbols and Meanings

-Viking Runes Guide

When your stones are completely dry use the black permanent marker to draw pictures, symbols, or runes on your stones. Then coat the stones with a layer of Modge Podge and let them dry.