What could a 7 or 8 year old do?

[Titus Petronicus Graccus]

Hello all.
While planning this and that for our Auxilia unit, my son who is 7 asked if he could "wear a helmet and armor too!". Now I don't think anyone makes an Auxillia helmet that small but I was thinking that perhaps there is something he could do while we march.
Any ideas?

[Aetius Helvius Merula]

Well, perhaps he could be an apprentice of some sort. Offer him a role that encourages him to learn, and that he finds interesting. From what I'm coming to understand, there's plenty of stuff to do that doesn't involve wearing armor.

[jvrjenivs]

Just look at Jeroen (Vortigern/Robert Vermaat son). He's almost always on the events his daddy attend. Mostly in just a tunic, but he is deadly with the (play) plumbata.

[Nathan Beal]

Would some form of servant/hanger on perhaps, that way he can lug around some of daddies kit even if he can't have any of his own.

[Peroni]

Like a slave?!

Poor lad.

My boy comes to a few events and he's the same age as yours. He is quite keen and good at handicrafts involving wool such as weaving spinning etc. He sits and makes braided wrist bracelets for people!

He does enjoy training with us and drilling with us too.

Maybe you could find a craft that he could do (other than polish your armour!) :wink:

[M. CVRIVS ALEXANDER]

My son (age 13) and daughter (age 10) participated in the latest event I was in. They just wore Roman civilian clothing, although I gave my son a spare pugio to hang on his belt, and vaguely described him as my assistant to the public. "Boy" would be a more historically correct term, I guess.

[M. Demetrius]

"Boy" would be a more historically correct term, I guess

Historically, yes--politically, no.
Just goes to show you. Even though words mean things, some people, well...you know

[Hibernicus]

The son of a soldier as a slave? Good grief.

My sons participated, youngest (19) is still an active soldier in the Legio

As kids they were civilians, learned to help guys with armor, fetch weapons, practiced with weapons, did leather sewing craft. Bartering leather work, armor polishing etc to soldiers was profitable and a nice way for the public to see kids interacting with soldiers and doing a probable activity.

They also helped in the Cocina, fetching wood, water, some food prep, stoking and watching fires...

They also played games.. leather ball etc etc

Also good for standing about or walking about passing out flyers.

As soon as they were old enough, strong enough, tall enough about 13- 14 they were in armor an participating as soldiers.

At that age they were helping to teach new recruits how to use a gladius!

[Titus Petronicus Graccus]

Wow, thanks for all the replies folks, these are great ideas.
We all know that if the kids or the better half aren't interested, it makes things difficult in doing it yourself.

Again, thanks very much I'm sure we'll get him involved somehow!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Teach them when they are young, and they will always have a skill!

[jkaler48]

Here is a link to a photo of my 10 year old grandson.

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/firstc ... w/ce50?b=1 [/img]

I have 16 grandchildren so am having quite a time getting enough gear in the right sizes!
John

[Maximio]

Getting children involved in reenacting is a fantastic opportunity to develop both their interst in history (not to be sniffed at the way the subject is treated these days) and also to give a broader dimension to the hobby.

Though it may seem strange to say this on a forum for Army talk I am becoming increasingly of the opinion that at times reenacting focuses too much on the military side. This often at the expense of the need to demonstrate to the wider public just how different so many aspects of Roman life were from the modern age.

My eldest daughter, now 15 has been coming with me to events for the last 6 years and she has been able to develop several facets within the group. 3 years ago I married her off to our Primus Pilus which really made the watching public sit back in shock at seing such a young girl getting hitched to an "old" man. But that is what it is about - confronting our modern values with historical realities. On occasions she has portrayed the role of a kitchen slave, the unacknowledged product of a liason with a woman from the vicus, a personal body slave to a high born woman and lately she has become the unit weaver producing some high quality belts and braids for sale to both public and reenactors.
Next year we are planning to make her into a Vestal and may even decide to declare her as having breached her sacred role and bury her alive. In other words the opportunities are endless.

With a young lad you have similar opportunities. One thing I often thought would be interesting to develop would be to demonstrate the Roman schooling system. If you have a male member who doesn't want to do the military side he can recreate the role of a Greek slave to teach the boy of an officer or affluent civilian. You could then get children from the public to join in (boys only, of course).

In the past our group has had some of their lads parade in scaled down armour. I must admit I've never been convinced about this. Yes Patrician nobles would dress their offspring up in armour for show but for the common soldier any children would be left back in the local township and rarely acknowledged to the wider military community. That isn't to say that lads wouldn't have tried to make their own pretend swords from wood and played at being soldiers as the column marched past.

Get them hooked now and see where it goes.

[Mithras]

My son is my servus, my slave! He was my share in a battle against Saxon raiders. He is very loyal and a hardworker! I call him Quintus, I can't pronounce his German name!!!! P P

[Memmia]

It's great to see the youngsters taking part, and that they are encouraged to do so by parents, grandparents etc.
In this day and age where it seems to be the norm to scoff or rebel against what your elders like, it is refreshing to see whole families, young and old sharing a common interest.
My teenage son is getting interested in archery, and that may lead to an interest in the historical side of it, fingers crossed :wink:

[rusty myers]

My son plays the whole time. We never have to stoke the fire when he is around (in Pompeii, where he could not come, the fires kept going out.)

I also had the unique pleasure of watching him teach the neighborhood boys how to march in Testudo with the needlefelts and shields. I have the only Roman Militiaman Jr. Drill team in America (unless one of you do too!!) As an aside, he also taught them phalanx fighting, and defense against cavalry with long spear (the horse was a bully on a bike).

In all, my young assistant plays right along... He'd be in the arena if his mom would let him!

Rusty