So, what was life like during the war..?
When you speak of war it is easy to forget about the innocent bystanders who are affected by the bombings and fighting. It is important to expose how the ordinary people in Britain and Ireland were affected by the war- such as the bombings in cities and rationing.
Resource Details and Teaching Ideas
Images and photographs of the destruction caused are easily accessed on Google images. They can show the sheer ruination and carnage of the cities for the children. A good idea might be to first show an image of the cities or towns before the bombs had struck so that the children could see the extremity of the damage. Another idea might be to show an image of a bomb that fell on a German city without telling the children where the city is. Ask the children to guess where the bomb had fallen and how the people in that place might have felt when the bomb hit. Then tell the children that it was a city in Germany to give balance to the war. The children will realise that there are innocent people in each country. I found that asking the children whether the bombing of the cities was right or wrong spurred a great debate about the importance of human life. This could be used as a great English oral language.fipdoojpdffI found that Diary Entries
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Images of BombingsI found many diary entries and letters written during the Second World War such as the one attached online. The children could examine them in pairs, taking the interesting points and facts from them. The children should imagine what they might do in a situation such as this, what might they write in their own diary entry, or what might they want to say to their family if they were a soldier writing a letter home. How might they feel?
This idea of writing a letter home to a family member could be explored imaginatively through Drama. Why not make a town? Why not try making a bombed town in art? Using simple and accessible resources and materials such as lollipop sticks, cardboard, fabric and fibre. I would avoid using clay as it would be difficult for children to create a town using clay. It could be an effective collaborative piece. In groups each child can choose an aspect of the town to create using various materials ie. a broken building/house, chapel, people examining the wreckage etc. and then it can be put together as a large town. Careful planning and cooperation within the group is required for a project such as this which is a great skill for the children to develop. In September 1939, once the war began, importing was stopped because the ships were being attacked and bombed by German submarines
Bacon, butter and sugar were the first foods to be rationed, followed by other foods such as meat, eggs, cheese and milk. Potatoes, fruit and fish were not rationed. To buy restricted foods, people handed their ration book to the shop keeper. They removed the coupons and took the appropriate amount of money.
Clothing rationing began in June 1941. There was a shortage of cloth to make clothes so people were encouraged to ‘make do and mend’.To buy new clothes people used coupons as well as money. Every person had a clothes ration book which allowed them one new outfit a year.
Food and clothing rationing lasted until 1954. Linkage: English, Maths, Art
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