30 May - 5 June 2015
Saturday
Settling the score
Arsenal beat Aston Villa 4-0 in the FA Cup final at the weekend. Amid all the flashy boots and haircuts it is easy to forget that the football tournament is the oldest in the world, first kicking off in 1871.
Sunday
Matter of time
On this day in 1859, the Great Clock of Westminster started to tick. It’s famously known as the home of Big Ben - the great bell that chimes across London. Now that’s an end-of-period ring to live up to.
Monday
A woof over their heads
During RSPCA Week, a campaign was launched on Twitter using the hashtag #myrescue to help home the 2,000 animals being looked after by the organisation. Could you adopt a class pet or two?
Tuesday
Pulling power
Hopefully nobody got rope burn at this year’s House of Commons v House of Lords charity tug of war, where MPs and peers competed to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. A lesson to us all.
Wednesday
Walking on air
Astronaut Ed White became the first American to walk in space 50 years ago. He was so reluctant to re-enter his spacecraft that he told mission control: “I’m coming back in...it’s the saddest moment of my life.”
Thursday
Sky’s the limit
Give history classes a lift by remembering Eacute;lisabeth Thible from France. On this day in 1784 she became the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon - dressed as the Roman goddess Minerva, no less.
Friday
The heat is on
The Met Office is predicting a heatwave in the UK this weekend, with some believing that temperatures could soar to 28C. It may finally be time to slap on the sunscreen and take the marking to the paddling pool.
6-12 June 2015
Saturday
Jill in the box
What could be better to inspire girls to take up sport than the 2015 Women’s Fifa World Cup? The action starts today with hosts Canada taking on China; reigning champions Japan kick off on Monday.
Sunday
Wheels in motion
If you thought cycling to work was hard, spare a thought for Olympian Sir Bradley Wiggins. He will be attempting to break the hour record and cycle further in 60 minutes than anyone has before.
Monday
Buzz Words
Bee-rilliant! National School Grounds Week has selected pollination as its annual theme, enabling children to learn about the importance of bees and how to create a protective environment for them at school.
Tuesday
Voice of a generation
The ninth Children’s Laureate is announced today. The honour is awarded biennially to a British writer voted for by children, librarians and writers. Quentin Blake first held the post in 1999.
Wednesday
World cuppa
The Tea and Coffee World Cup begins today in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. It will showcase the finest beans and leaves in the world - some of which could be making their way to a staffroom mug near you.
Thursday
Trojan effort
The events of Homer’s Iliad may not be strictly historical, but Classics teachers can still mark the fall of Troy. According to the Greek scholar Eratosthenes, the sack of the city took place on this day in 1184BC.
Friday
Date for the diary
On national Anne Frank Day, schools across the UK will be celebrating the life of the teenage diarist whose experiences hiding with her family during the Second World War have been published in 70 languages.
