Cycle 1
Feasts, Faith and Identity
Food is more than just something we eat—it’s a way to celebrate, show love, and connect with our beliefs and traditions. Across the world, people gather around meals to mark holidays, religious rituals, and family traditions. But why do different cultures eat different foods? How do religious beliefs shape what people eat and how they prepare their meals?
In this expedition, students will explore how food is woven into religious and cultural traditions around the world. Through Medieval and Early Modern History, storytelling, hands-on activities, and interactive challenges, they’ll discover how food helps people express their identity and build community.
They’ll also investigate their own food traditions, interview family or community members, and compete in a fun, creative challenge where they become “Food Ambassadors” for different cultures!
Cycle 2
Lives of a Medieval Teenager
What was it like to be a teenager in the Middle Ages? In this interdisciplinary humanities class, students will read the historical novel Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman to explore the everyday life, struggles, and spirit of a young girl living in 13th-century England. As Catherine navigates her role in society, family expectations, and dreams of independence, students will examine broader themes of gender roles, social class, religion, and coming of age in the medieval world.
To deepen understanding and broaden perspectives, the course will compare Birdy’s experiences with those of young people in Medieval Japan and West African civilizations such as Ghana and Mali. Students will explore questions such as:
How did gender and family expectations shape lives in different parts of the world?
What role did religion—Christianity, Buddhism, Shinto, and Islam—play in daily life and identity?
How did social class and political power affect opportunities for young people?
Using literature, primary sources, historical documents, and creative projects, students will analyze similarities and differences across cultures and gain a global view of adolescence and society during the Middle Ages. Activities may include writing journal entries from the perspective of a young samurai or a merchant’s child in Timbuktu, comparing coming-of-age traditions, and mapping connections between trade, religion, and power.
Cycle 2
Spamalot! Monty Python's take on the Middle Ages and Medieval Times
Learn about the Middle Ages and Medieval Times through the lens of one of the funniest comedy groups on the planet—Monty Python! Spamalot, the satirical Broadway musical about King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Quest for the Holy Grail, brings to life themes of class struggle, the influence of the Church, and the power of the monarchy in Europe.
You’ll read the play and dive into essential questions like:
When should one follow tradition, and when should one break it?
Who should hold power?
How does religion influence the institutions and daily life of civilizations?
By comparing real historical events to their comedic portrayals, you'll gain insight into how satire can be both entertaining and revealing. For your final project, you'll write and perform your own satirical scene inspired by history or current events, design a coat of arms, and—if you're brave—survive an encounter with a killer rabbit.
Come join our quest to Spamalot!
Cycle 3
Becoming DaVinci
Why do millions of people travel across the world just to see the Mona Lisa? What made Leonardo da Vinci such a legendary artist, inventor, and thinker? In this hands-on, creative class, you’ll step into da Vinci’s shoes and explore how one person’s curiosity can change the world!
We’ll dive into Leonardo’s life during the Italian Renaissance—a time bursting with brilliant ideas, stunning art, and bold discoveries. Using art and architecture as our guide, we’ll explore how Renaissance thinkers designed buildings, painted masterpieces, and imagined flying machines centuries before airplanes existed. You’ll keep a digital notebook filled with your own sketches, inventions, journal entries, and fun historical facts.
But this isn’t just about Europe. While da Vinci was creating in Italy, powerful civilizations were thriving across the world. We’ll explore the empires of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca—discovering their extraordinary cities, temples, calendars, and artwork. You’ll see how creativity, technology, and belief systems shaped each civilization in unique ways.
We’ll also examine the Reformation, a time when people began asking big questions about religion, power, and change. How did these movements influence the modern world—and how might da Vinci have responded to them?
If you love to draw, build, imagine, or wonder how things work, this is the class for you. Get ready to think like a genius, create like an artist, and explore like a historian!
Cycle 3
Gone Ghost Huntin’: Macbeth and the Supernatural
Why is Shakespeare’s Macbeth rumored to be cursed? Did Shakespeare really include authentic witch incantations in the script? And how do witches, prophecies, ghosts, and other paranormal elements shape the play’s plot and create its famously spooky atmosphere?
This expedition dives into these questions and more, with a focus on the eerie, otherworldly forces at play in Shakespeare’s shortest—and spookiest—tragedy. You’ll explore the supernatural beliefs of Shakespeare’s time and how those ideas still echo today. From witch trials to ghostly visions, we’ll uncover how fear and fascination with the unknown helped shape the story of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
As a bonus, you’ll get the chance to showcase your dramatic side—stepping into character roles and bringing the dark world of Scottish thanes, shadowy castles, and spectral warnings to life on stage.
Just be sure to bring your flashlight...
