Kids in World War II

Answer the questions:

• Have you heard about World War II before?
• What do you know about it?
• Who started the war?
• What was the name of the leader who started the war?
• when did it start?
• When did it finish?
• Did any of your family die in that war?
• What role did Russia play in World War II?

Watch the video and do the exercises:

Answer the Questions:

• Why is Eric living with Mr. and Mrs. Richards now?
• What food is rationed?
• What is an egg ration? When does he eat his egg?
• Where does he help out on Saturdays? What does he help to sell?
• What does he do at the allotment?
• What does he do when he gets out in the afternoon?
• What hasn’t he seen till he came to the countryside?
• Where did he think milk came from?
• Who gets the prize for the most scrap metal collected?

Fill in the gaps with the words below:
bombed
rationed
cauliflowers
dig
collecting
honest
crossed
scrap metal
evacuated
safer
greengrocer's

1. I am living with Mr and Mrs Richards now. I've been ________.
2. I'm from London really. But my home's being________ by Hitler. It's safer here.
3. Eggs, bacon, sausages, sweets - all ________.
4. And on Saturdays I am down the ________, helping out.
5. We've got plenty of choice. If you like ________ or potatoes.
6. Then I ________ the allotment.
7. We're ________ scrap metal to make Spitfires.
8. To be________, I thought milk just came in bottles.
9. They are giving a prize for the most ________ collected tonight. Fingers ________.

Go to the site Children at War website and do the exercises:

Look at the timeline at the top of the page, and answer the questions:

• When did World War II start? When did it finish?
• When did the Soviet Union and America join the war?
• What were the countries that Germany occupied in 1940?

Read the information in the sections Britain in 1939, Children at war, How did the war change things, Civilians in danger, Occupied countries and say if the sentences are True or False:

1. A lot of British children went abroad on holidays.
2. In a typical British family both mom and dad worked.
3. Television started in 1939 but everyone had a radio set.
4. Millions of children left home for the first time as evacuees.
5. Children learned 'air raid drill' and how to put on a gas mask.
6. At night, many children slept in air raid shelters.
7. Kids played at bombsites.
8. Mothers and older sisters left home to join the Forces (army, navy or air force).
9. Fathers, uncles and brothers went to work in factories
10. Bomb damage often meant no gas or electricity.
11. Fortunately, poison gas bombs were not dropped on Britain.
12. During World War 2 more than 360,000 people in Britain were killed in bombing raids.
13. For children, occupation meant being hungry (enemy soldiers took the best food) and scared (the enemy sometimes took away or killed your family and friends).
14. Jews from all over occupied Europe, including thousands of children, were rounded up, and sent to live in Israel.

ACTIVITIES

Look at the pictures and answer the questions:

• Why are children eating carrot sticks?
• Why do people need gas masks?
• What was the name of an air raid shelter?
• What was children’s bed like in the London Underground?
• What made children happy during the war?

Play the game A wartime home - Explore its rooms and shelter and answer the questions:

• How many rooms does the house have?
• What objects did you see highlighted in red?
• What objects were in the house because of the war?
• How did they keep the house warm?
• What were the toilets and bathrooms like?
• What objects served as entertainment for the family?
• What food did you see in the kitchen?
• How did people communicate to each other? How did they get the news?

Play the game Evacuees' letters - On rationing, evacuation, home answer the questions:

Letters 

Rationing letter

• What is the boy excited about? why?
• What were they queuing for hours for? Why?
• What new foods did they have?
• Were these healthy?

Evacuees letter

• How did they feel about being evacuated?
• Did they know where they were being sent?
• Did children get to go home for Christmas and birthdays? Why?
• What took such a long time in the 1940’s? why?

Home life

• Why is Cliff knitting his own jumper?
• What was the boy famous for? Why?
• What were the coupons for?
• Why did they make there own clothes?
• Did the shops close during the war? What did they do?
• What did they do to cheer themselves up in the shelters?

Play the game Rationing - Shop for a meal in 1943.

After you do all the activities do the quiz Children at war, then answer these questions again:

1. Why were wartime birthday cards smaller?

• Paper was rationed.
• Letter boxes had smaller openings.
• Postmen couldn't carry big cards.

2. At what age did most wartime children leave school?

• 12
• 14
• 18

3. What made it hard for children to get a good night’s sleep?

• Noisy bids.
• Air raids.
• Road works.

4. What are these boys swinging around?

• an air raid siren
• a bus stop
• a lamp post

5. Which of these European countries were not occupied by enemy forces?

• France
• Norway
• Britain

6. What are these children eating?

• An ice lolly
• A carrot on a stick.
• A toffee apple.

7. What were bombsites?

• Factories where bombs were made.
• Places were bombs had fallen
• Museums full of bombs

8. During the war how were school lessons and exams affected?

• School lessons happened at home.
• There were no school lesson or exams.
• Underground schools were built.

9. Countries once part of the British Empire now belong to __________?

• The Commonwealth
• The European Union
• NATO

10. What is the little boy carrying?

• A sword and toy gun
• A shield and umbrella
• A bucket and spade.

11. What are these people carrying in their little boxes?

• Blow-up beds.
• Sandwiches.
• Gas masks.

12. Which of these did children learn to put on?

• A frogman suit
• A suit of armor
• A gas mask.

13. What are these children sleeping in?

• Hammocks
• Sleeping bags
• Camp beds 

Homework:

                   Imagine you are living in the war times in your country. Write a letter to a friend or family about your experiences. Include... 

1. What are the living conditions like for you? 

2. What food do you miss and why? 

3. Where are you living and with who? 

4. Why have you moved? 

5. What do you do for entertainment? 

6. How do you feel about the war? 

7. Where do you go to keep safe?. 

Use the letters as an example in the website.

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