Cut one piece of metallic gold paper in half lengthwise and connect two of the ends with glue to create one long strip of paper. Cut one long edge into zig-zag pattern with a pair of safety scissors and wrap around a boy's head to create a royal paper crown. If the paper is not secure enough to be worn, paste it onto a piece of poster board and trim the poster board into the shape of the gold paper crown. A princess hat may be constructed by rolling one piece of poster board into a cone shape and attaching a long piece of tulle to the small tip with a stapler. Attach an 8-inch length of ribbon, or more for older children, to each side of the large opening to tie under the child's chin to keep it secure. The children may decorate their royal headgear with stickers, markers or paint.
Present a lesson to your students about the menu of kings and queens and how it may have differed from that of their subjects. During the middle ages, royalty was granted silverware and pewter goblets as well as platters for their food but peasants often used slabs of wood for their plates and ate with their hands. The menu most likely consisted of finger foods. Work with food service to prepare a lunch with or for the students that is similar to that eaten by royalty in the middle ages. Consider encouraging the students to dress in the most royal attire they have in their closet and wear the royal hats they created.
Create a theatrical play centered around life in the middle ages and how kings treated the citizens in their kingdom, with respect and appreciation. The story may also include scenes from a nearby kingdom where a king who thought of his kingdom as servants and was more of a dictator. Give each child a part to act in the play and discuss the script with the students revolving around the history of kings and queens, and their duties.
Create word problems that are centered around a royal theme. An example of a basic word story may include a king ruling over 2,500 citizens but in a royal coup d'etat, 1,250 citizens were driven away and another person declared himself king, along with his queen. The new king had three sons, two daughters-in-law and 8 grandchildren that came along with him to live in the castle. His army included 1,000 men. How many people now live in the kingdom? The answer to the problem requires the student to subtract 1,250 from the total and then add the king and queen, the children and grandchildren as well as the 1,000 troops to equal 2,265 citizens. Adapt the word problems to the academic level of the students.