Welcome to an authentic “knight school” for youth (ages 8 – 12) where medieval martial arts and chivalric virtues are taught in an engaging and safe environment by trained instructors!
Each summer, Forteza offers a series of unique, two-week camps that combine physical fitness training and swordplay and authentic medieval games, lessons on heraldry, arms and armour and medieval life. Campers learn to swordfight, shoot a bow, design their heraldry, paint a shield they get to keep and learn about life in an era 600 years gone! Underlying all of those activities is a daily lesson on the knightly Code of Chivalry and how the virtues it espouses — Prowess, Courage, Humility, Courtesy, Largesse (Generosity), Mercy and Temperance (Balance) — are relevant to living life today!
Daily Schedule
09:00 – 9:30 AM CHIVALRIC CIRCLE An introduction of one of the seven chivalric virtues and how the students can apply them in their lives today.
9:30 – 10:00 AM: WARM-UPs & EXERCISE A unique physical fitness warm-up, taught through games played by medieval children centuries ago!
10:00 – 10:30 AM: SWORDPLAY Students learn a variety of the martial skills that the knights of old had to know: sword & shield, two-handed sword, and quarterstaff. 11:00 – NOON: ARCHERY NOON – 12:30 PM: LUNCH
12:30 – 1:30 PM: MEDIEVAL LIFE A daily topic on one aspect Medieval life, accompanied with show and tell or some sort of hands-on project or medieval game.
1:30 -3:000 PM: SWORDPLAY, PART II A second martial arts lesson, building on the first, combined with controlled sparring (using padded weapons and protective equipment). 3:00 – 3:30 PM: THE LESSON Students review the day’s lesson, explain what they learned and nominate one of their number for who best exemplified that day’s virtue.
Before & After Care
To make things easier for parents, we offer before and after care services starting at 8:30am each morning and from 3:30 to 5:00pm each day. Kids are welcome to work on activities provided during the camp, play games we have on site, or bring their own activities from home. Although time is largely self-directed, there is full adult supervision, and we’ll make sure that after each day of camp, there is much to keep their minds occupied as there is their bodies! Still want to know more? In 2021 Ana Belaval and the WGN Around Town crew popped in for a visit!