By THL Rayhana bint Estafanos al-Abbas and Hammad al-Khalil ibn Suleiman
Introduction
The Kingdom of Caid hosts the Caid Pentathlon every few years and after I entered in 2022, my son Hammad decided that he would also like to enter the next one. Pentathlon is an arts event where to enter, the expectation is to create at least five period entries in 4 distinct categories, showing both breadth and depth of knowledge. Helping Hammad enter Pentathlon set us off on a multi-year adventure in A&S activities that ended up where neither of us expected. Pentathlon can feel overwhelming for adults, so how do you help a kid take it on? This class covers how I assisted my 3rd grader to successfully enter the full Pentathlon and how you can help your child enjoy and engage in A&S activities and competitions in The SCA.
Throughout the process of preparing for the competition, my focus was to complete things that were at his level, and achievable with the time and resources we had available. I wanted this process to be more about the fun parts and less about the hard work (though we still had plenty). We made intentional choices to keep projects manageable, documentation kid-friendly, and expectations realistic. This handout is a practical guide based on what we learned; what worked, what didn’t, and how you can support a young artisan through a big project like Pentathlon without burning out yourself.
Our Approach to Pentathlon
We’d talked about Pentathlon before, but this year Hammad said he wanted to actually do it. Once he committed, we sat down together and looked at the list of categories. We talked through what he already knew how to do, what sounded interesting, and what I knew we could pull off with limited time and budget. That helped us narrow things down to five solid, doable ideas.
We didn’t build a super detailed schedule, but we did talk regularly about where we were in the process and what was left to do. I tried to keep the tone light and not let the scale of the competition overwhelm either of us. He got to make a lot of decisions along the way, and I stepped in when he needed help breaking things down into smaller pieces or figuring out a simpler way to do something. The point wasn’t to aim for perfection, it was to get across the finish line with projects he was proud of.
That said, things didn’t always go smoothly. One of his entries came together at the very last minute. He actually suggested staying home from school to finish it (which I did not agree to, real life comes first!), so instead I picked him up at dismissal instead of sending him to the after school program. He wrapped up the final touches as we packed. Not ideal timing, and it wasn’t perfect but he got it done, and it was his.
Five Projects, Five Unique Challenges
Project 1: Pottery (Pinch Pots)
Once we had established what five items Hammad found interesting, we got to work. We lucked out, because a friend had previously offered to teach kids and adults how to throw simple pinch pots and fire them. Hammad had a great time learning how to work with clay, and he ended up finishing that event with something already worth entering. All he needed to do was a little bit of research for his documentation, and his first entry was already finished! This required very little prep or support from me and is a good reminder to reach out and utilize the resources and classes that are offered at local events as a basis for your projects. It’s not required that you complete Pentathlon projects with zero support, and often simply attending a class at an event, war, or Collegium will be enough to finish one project. Keep your eye out for these opportunities!
Project 2: Cooking (Medieval Candy)
Next, we took on the recipe. Hammad LOVES to cook, and has spent a lot of time with me in the kitchen, so a culinary project was an obvious choice. We talked about what type of food he might be interested in making, and he settled on a sweet treat (unsurprisingly). I looked through one of my medieval cookbooks for recipes that had just a few ingredients and were within his cooking skill level to complete on his own.
Once I had identified a few options, I gave him a choice and he chose a date, honey, and nut candy from Andalusia. We made it once before the competition, and it went okay, but I’m glad we made a test batch because the final product had a much better texture due to changes we made in technique and cooking time. I ended up helping with cutting up the dates for the final project because chopping that amount of dates took him a very long time on his own.
Project 3: Dyeing with Gallnuts
Hammad had become interested in gallnuts at the 2022 Great Western War, and had bought a small bag from a merchant with my blessing without really knowing what they were for. I decided to have him dye some wool yarn and some linen fabric, to show the differences in color. This project ended up being somewhat art but definitely more about the science! He loved this process, but ended up a little disappointed at the color results.
Project 4: Candle Dipping
When Hammad chose this project from the list of categories I was a little nervous because I have never made anything except melt and pour. We did a little bit of research together on medieval candles, and decided to make dipped taper candles. I figured out we could use a ladle to drip the wax on the wick, instead of having to maintain a deep and large pot of wax. This saved us on wax costs, and I ended up pouring the remaining wax into pucks to share with friends for sewing use. He did a great job with being safe while dealing with the melted wax, and even reheated the wax a few times in between layers.
Project 5: Painted Box
We really struggled with his painted box project. I realized about two weeks before the event that he assumed a wooden box he painted last year would work, but it didn’t have any medieval design elements to it. I searched for examples of medieval painted boxes and came across a German game piece box with animals on it. I knew his painting skills and patience were not going to hold out to fully paint the box, so I lightly sketched a basic lion shape to get him started and we used medieval lions from manuscripts to help him fill in the details. This ended up being a stretch of his skills, but was one of the better received projects because of the adorable lion he painted.
Making Documentation Kid-Friendly
While Youth entrants for Pentathlon are not required to submit documentation they are still judged with the adult rubrics and nearly ⅓ of the available points are based on the documentation. Hammad is in third-grade and while he can write a sentence, a full paragraph is still a stretch. It was important to me to make this process something he could accomplish mostly on his own, so I came up with a simple documentation template that was similar to some of his homework.
I came up with 9 clear questions that follow most documentation requirements and I typed them carefully and left lots of space for him to answer each one at the computer (template at the end of this handout). When he got stuck, we looked the answer up together online, often looking for videos about his chosen topic to help him stay engaged and focused on the project and material.
The nine questions are:
- What is your project?
- Who used or made something like this in history?
- When was this used or made?
- Where was this used or made?
- Why did people use or make this?
- How did you make your project?
- What tools or materials did you use?
- Did you learn anything interesting while making this?
- Anything else you want to share about your project?
His culinary entry required the medieval and modern recipe be provided, so I typed these carefully for him. At the end of each document, I added a “Parent Help Notes” section, where I detailed the parts of each project that I directly assisted him with due to his age and abilities. I also added images of the historic box and art that most influenced his work on the painted box.
Once his answers were typed in, I went back and adjusted his punctuation and formatting a little, but largely left his answers the way he wanted them, with some hilarious results. For example, he shared in his documentation that we had dropped some of his gallnuts when transferring them to the dye pot and since we didn’t have many, we added a few floor crumbs along with the gallnuts to the dye pot after sweeping up the spill. When asked if he learned anything when making candles, he responded, “Not really, but I would do it again”.
Ultimately, his documentation ended up being a great companion to each of his entries, and really highlighted the parts of each project that he learned the most from.
Winning, Losing, and Managing Expectations
Very very few young members of the Society enter Pentathlon, so we were surprised (and thrilled!) to learn that one of Hammad’s very good friends had also managed to complete five projects. Before the competition, I made sure to have a talk with Hammad to set expectations. Most kids are not used to this style of judged competition just yet, so it’s very important to set the tone and expectations. We covered what the schedule of the day would be like, and what his obligations would be. I try to do this before most events, but since this was a new experience for him, it was extra important.
We also talked about how he would be judged using the same standards and rubrics that are used for the adults, and that this means that his final scores might not be real high due to his skill level and age and he was okay with that. He went into the competition with the mindset that just finishing his five projects was already an accomplishment, and winning or losing didn’t really matter. I feel this really cut down on possible negative feelings that he might have had, because while he wanted to win, that was never the focus. We always focused on having fun and accomplishing a goal we set years before.
At the end of the night, Hammad ended up winning the Youth category. I was a little bit worried about his friend’s possible reaction, but she was probably just as excited to see her friend win! It turned into a great moment of shared celebration of their collective accomplishments.
One thing to look for after the event is the post-event blues. It’s a pretty common phenomenon to have a drop in mood following an event that you looked forward to for a long time, and kids are not immune to this feeling. Despite Hammad having a wonderful day, the following day was spent recovering and came with a few emotional meltdowns. Try to have patience with your kid in the days following the event as they process the experience. Sometimes the excitement and energy leading up to the event crashes all at once, and they just need a little grace to reset back into their normal routine.
What We Learned: Tips for Parents
These are the top tips that helped us get it done without tearing our hair out:
Start with what works. Pick categories based on what your kid already enjoys, what you can realistically support, and what you can finish with the time and materials you have.
Keep it simple. Small, focused projects go a long way. Skip anything that sounds cool but requires advanced tools, research, or attention spans you know your kid doesn’t have.
Use a kid-friendly documentation format. We used nine simple questions, modeled after schoolwork. Add pictures, parent notes, and type anything they can’t comfortably write themselves.
Plan lightly, adapt often. Have a rough timeline but expect to shift. Work in short bursts. One of our projects wrapped up while we were packing. It happens.
Set expectations early. Explain how judging works. Winning is great, but finishing five projects is the real goal.
Watch for the crash. After the excitement, expect some tiredness or emotions. Build in space to recover and be kind to both of you.
Celebrate the effort. Win or not, they did something huge. That’s what matters most.
Final Thoughts
Helping Hammad through entering and winning the Pentathlon was a big undertaking, but it turned out to be one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had in the SCA together. It wasn’t always smooth, and it definitely wasn’t perfect, but it was real and all his own. He got to explore new skills, see a long-term goal through, and share what he made with pride. I got to watch him grow, problem-solve, and show up in a big way, and that made every late night and last-minute scramble worth it.
If you’re a parent thinking about supporting your kid through Pentathlon, know that it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or intimidating. With a little planning, a lot of patience, and a focus on fun over perfection, it really can be a joyful, memorable experience for both of you.
The Documentation Template
Name of Project Name of Entrant Category
- What is your project?
- Who used or made something like this in history?
- When was this used or made?
- Where was this used or made?
- Why did people use or make this?
- How did you make your project?
- What tools or materials did you use?
- Did you learn anything interesting while making this?
- Anything else you want to share about your project?
Parent Help Notes: Use this section to detail any help that the parent provided to assist with completing the projects.
Note: Review documentation rules for individual categories, and make sure to include anything required by the category (for example, culinary entries require the period and modern recipe).