A new study has found that people who lived in ancient Britain quickly evolved to cope with a lack of sunlight. This resources pack includes an article from The Week Junior magazine, along with a sheet of activities designed to get children thinking, talking and writing about what the story means to them.
Debate
Here in the UK, we do like to moan about the weather. But is it really all that bad? Aren’t we lucky to live in a country where we can look forward to warm, sunny days yet still enjoy the beauty of fresh snow? Or is it just too miserable and damp? Do you hate the fact that we can’t predict more than a few days in advance whether it will be nice enough for a day outside? And, if Ancient Britons’ bodies had to evolve to cope with the lack of sunshine, doesn’t that prove that humans are not really designed for our climate? What do you think?
Writing challenges
Write the script for a weather forecast covering the whole country for a day when everywhere will get some rain. The catch is that you are not allowed to use the word rain (or any variation of it, such as raining, rainfall, etc.) at any point, so you’ll have to use synonyms like drizzle instead.
OR
Imagine you are one of the Ancient Britons who settled here thousands of years ago. Write a letter to your relatives in far-off, warmer lands, explaining what it’s like.
Investigate
Write a fact file naming the wettest, driest, warmest, sunniest and coldest places in Great Britain.
Find the entire series of Topical Tuesday resources to download in our Topical Tuesdays collection.
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 The Week Junior website.