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Quizzes, crafts and fun things to do at home. Why not join us every Wednesday for a variety of activities?
Find instructions, ideas and templates to use and have some fun! A new activity will be available each week.
Enjoy!
Make Your Own Wartime Postcard
During the First and Second World Wars, thousands of letters and postcards were sent to and from soldiers serving across the world
- You will need:
- Light weight Card
- Scissors (and a grown up maybe well they sometimes come in useful)
- Pen, something to colour in with, felt tips, colouring pencils,paint a grown up
- Glue and some old magazines or papers or …. An inkjet printer with some photopaper in it!
Click here to download your wartime postcard instructions
Make Your Own WW2 Make do & Mend Teddy Bear
During the Second World War, materials were in short supply so people were encouraged to ‘make do and mend.’ From clothes to toys, recycling and reusing items became part of everyday life. In the WW2 spirit, why not make your own teddy bear?
You will need:
- Material – have you got an old shirt that you can use? (whatever you can find!)
- Scissors
- Needle and thread – please use these under adult supervision
- PVA glue (if needed)
- Stuffing or chopped up material to put inside your teddy bear
Click Here to Download your Second World War Teddy Bear Instructions and Template
Make Your Own Field Telephone
In the Army, communication is important. Passing on messages has been done using a variety of methods from carrier pigeons to using Morse code. When signallers relay messages, it is important that they are clear so the receiver can understand them to pass them on. Using a spelling alphabet makes this easier – this is known as a phonetic alphabet – and allows a clear transmission of words that can be easily understood.
Click Here to Download Instruction to Make Your Own Field Telephone
Make your own VE day party hat
As people prepared to celebrate victory in Europe, items were still in short supply but everyone rallied round to ‘make do.’ In the spirit of the time we have made our own party hat made out of recyclable materials. Decorate it how you wish using old cards, pens, paper or anything else you can find at home. Have fun! Feel free to share you creations on our Facebook page!
You will need:
• 4 double sheets of newspaper
• Felt-tips, paper, scissors and glue (or anything else you have to hand) to decorate your hat
• stapler
Click Here and Download Instructions to Make Your Own VE Day Party Hat
Make Your Own Bunting
Why not design your own bunting for the VE day 75 celebrations on Friday the 8th of May? Victory in Europe (VE) day commemorates the end of war in Europe in 1945. Around the country, many people had street parties to celebrate VE day although war continued in the Far East and wasn’t officially over until August.
Click Here and Download Instructions to Design Your Own Bunting For The VE Day 75
VE day ‘Stay at Home’ celebration!
This year is the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe. On Friday the 8th May, the UK Government have declared a bank holiday and we are joining many other organisations encouraging people to hold a VE day party in their own home. Remember – you cannot invite people to your party, only those that live in the same house but you can share the party via video conferencing. Today, tomorrow and next Wednesday we will be giving you some ideas to help start planning your party. Don’t forget to share your party photographs on our facebook page!
Here are a few websites to help with your ideas and planning:
• The Royal British Legion
• English Heritage VE Day Party Pack
• Combat Stress VE Day Paty Ideas
Why not make your own VE75 celebration poster you can put in your window? You will need:
• A piece of A4 paper
• Felt tip pens, colouring pencils, crayons or paint
• Old newspapers/magazines
• Scissors
• Glue
Visit these websites (and the internet) to gain inspiration for your poster. Perhaps you would like to include ‘VE75’ on your poster or 1945-2000. Although red, white and blue are the main colours, you can decorate it in any colours you wish. Why not look through magazines and newspapers to see if there are any photographs or pictures you can use? What things are traditionally British? Tea, red telephone boxes…make a list. Perhaps you could draw and colour some of these on you poster. Be creative and have fun.
Make your own Medal
Medals are awarded for being involved in a war or for doing something really brave. The highest award for bravery is the Victoria Cross. Sometimes soldiers are given commemorative medals too. There are lots of medals on display in the Museum including ?? Victoria Crosses.
Download the template to make your own medal. Get some ideas from the photographs or design your own. Attach a safety pin and wear it with pride
Make your own Hard Tack Biscuit
Once a staple diet on military campaigns, these simple tough biscuits were often known ‘molar breakers.’ A good source of carbohydrate, they were cheap to make but had to be soaked in tea or stews to make them easier to eat!
Why not have a go at making your own by following this simple recipie: Hard Tack Recipie Watch the Video
Don’t forget to send us a photograph of your biscuits!
Get Creative with Camouflage!
Camouflage helps hide soldiers or military equipment so they can’t be seen.
Why not download the template and make your own camouflage mask? Use paint, crayons, paper, material or natural materials such as leaves and twigs to decorate your mask. Take a photograph and post it on our facebook page.
Communication is really important for the British Army
Did you know..?
One of the earliest methods of telecommunication was Morse code.
Samuel Morse invented this unique system of dashes and dots to communicate messages in the 19th Century. Initially, there was limited use of Morse Code by the British Army in the Crimea War. It came into wider use in later half of the 19th century and lasted until the late 20th Century.
Download the Morse Code Communication Sheet .
Can you work out the message?
Try tapping the message out onto a hard surface. Can anyone else understand your message?
When you have completed the task, write your own messages using Morse code then send it to a friend to see if they can work it out.
The most famous code is SOS – can you use your Morse code knowledge for this emergency message?
