3rd Grade History & Social Studies — Explorers and Settlers — God's Hand in the New World
Students will learn that Viking explorers from Scandinavia were among the first Europeans to reach North America, long before Columbus.
Nearly 1,000 years ago, brave sailors called Vikings left their homes in Scandinavia — the lands we now call Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. They built strong wooden ships and sailed across the stormy Atlantic Ocean.
A Viking explorer named Leif Erikson landed on the coast of North America around the year 1000 AD. He called the land 'Vinland' because of the wild grapes growing there. This was about 500 years before Columbus!
The Vikings were skilled shipbuilders and navigators. They used the stars, the sun, and even the flight of birds to find their way across the ocean. God placed these signs in creation to guide travelers.
Although the Viking settlements in North America did not last, their journeys show us that God was preparing the way for the New World to be discovered and settled by people who would one day build a great nation.
Draw a Viking longship on the ocean. Label the parts you can see: the sail, the hull, and the oars. Write 'Vinland' on the shore in the background.