The world’s oldest man has celebrated his 112th birthday. Bob Weighton was born on 29 March 1908 – meaning he has lived through 22 UK Prime Ministers and five ruling monarchs.
Coincidentally, Weighton was born on the exact same day as Joan Hocquard, who is the oldest woman in the UK. She celebrated her 112th birthday at her home in Dorset, England.
This PDF resource includes this article, as well as accompanying activity ideas:
- During Mr Weighton’s school days, the world suffered wars, disasters and a major outbreak of a dangerous virus. These days, those things are still happening. Does that mean that mankind has not learnt anything over the last 112 years? Or has life, in fact, improved a great deal over that time? Have we made great progress despite all the setbacks and, if so, how has life got better? What do you think?
- Write a pretend letter to Bob Weighton when he was a schoolboy. Describe some of the ways in which you think school is very different compared with his experiences and see if you can think of things that probably have not changed much
- Mr Weighton explains how he has had to deal with a lot of changes of plan during his long life. Write your own recipe for dealing with unexpected problems or disappointments in a cheerful and positive way. Remember to use numbered instructions and imperative verbs
- List the last ten prime ministers Mr Weighton has lived under, giving their political parties and dates of office. Challenge: can you also list the first five he lived under?
This PDF resource includes this article, as well as accompanying activity ideas.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download here.
What is The Week Junior?
The Week Junior magazine looks at current affairs and helps children make sense of the world, provides context and clarity to complex issues, improves general knowledge and encourages discussion and debate.
To find out more about The Week Junior and to download its free resources, please go to schools.theweekjunior.co.uk.