Diamond Jubilee preparations are gaining momentum, with extended bank holiday weekend festivities kicking off on Saturday, June 2 and allowing most British workers two days’ holiday on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th of June (thanks, Ma’am!).
With communities across the country celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s sixty-year reign with all sorts of local events, we’d like to offer up 6 ways to mark the occasion with your children at home … sorry did somebody say “Bank Holiday and “rain” in the same sentence?!
You can adapt these to suit a range of ages, so read on!
1. Interview Granny
It’s easy to forget that apart from the Queen’s numerous royal duties, she has four children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild — making her one of the busiest grannies around!
If your children’s granny is still living, use the occasion of the Jubilee to encourage your tots to learn more about their own heritage. Invite their granny round for tea and a chat, or if she lives far away, ring her up on the phone to learn more about her life. Questions like “How has life changed since you were a girl?”; “Do you remember the day Elizabeth was crowned Queen, and what was it like?”; and “What’s your favourite childhood memory?” can help get your children started. Write down the answers together. You even commemorate the interview on video or by making a little booklet together, with photos or drawings of granny included.
2. Write a Note to the Queen
The Queen’s official Jubilee website is full of juicy titbits about the Queen’s life, such as her childhood, the major political and social events that have shaped her reign, and key facts and figures about her life today. With your child, choose an aspect of the Queen’s life they’d like to learn more about, and read through some of the online information together. Ask your child to think about one or two qualities about the Queen they admire, or details from her life that they are most impressed by, to incorporate into their note.
Tip: A lovely way to get started is by listening to this recording of the Queens’ message to evacuees on Children’s Hour in 1940 … get those hankies out!
3. Make a Timeline
The official Diamond Jubilee website has an interactive timeline of the Queen’s reign. It details the breathtaking span of historic events, both internationally and at home, that have shaped her rule — from the year of her coronation, when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made it to the top of Mount Everest, to the Arab Spring in 2011. Take some time to browse through some of these events together, many of which link to original YouTube footage, like the Queen’s first televised Christmas broadcast. Then, help your children write their own timeline – events that have shaped their own life so far, whether it’s the first day of school to the arrival of a new sibling – from birth to the present. Your children can use photos, drawings and video to bring their timeline to life.
4. Add a story to the Jubilee Time Capsule
Help your child choose a day from his or her life during the Queen’s reign, that holds special memories for them. Create a story in any format – a collage, a written story, a poem, or a photo or video journal — to capture this special memory for the Jubilee Time Capsule, a special Jubilee initiative that commemorates the stories of Commonwealth subjects over the past 60 years.
5. Honour the Best of British Grub
The fourth annual Big Lunch will fall on Sunday, June 3 — the same weekend as Jubilee celebrations. With a bit of planning, you and your children can create your own Diamond Jubilee Lunch to celebrate the Queen’s 60 years on the throne. Sit down together and have a think about your favourite British meals to nosh on. Is it a dish you learned from your own mum? A Jamie Oliver recipe? Or a favourite dish from your local restaurant? Come up with a menu together – you can limit it to a main and a pudding to keep things simple – and get cracking on cooking a scrumptious meal that reflects the Best of British!
6. Make a Boat for the Royal Flotilla
Sunday, June 3 also marks the launch of one of the largest Royal flotillas ever seen on the River Thames. Up to a thousand boats will gather on the river, with the Queen leading the procession. Design and make a boat with your kiddies to add to the Royal flotilla. The design can be cheap and cheerful – use old tissue boxes, biscuit boxes, loo paper rolls and kitchen rolls to build your ship and use sticky tape or glue to stick them together. Decorate your ship with paint, tin foil, and colourful scraps of material. Be creative in naming your boat — find inspiration from the Queen’s life and travels!
