Daily Activities
While our Lifelong Learning Programmes were closed we posted daily activities on our website, in line with our weekly theme; you can do them all at home, using resources that you should be able to find around the house. They’re all archived here for you to do whenever you like!
We also have free colouring pages, in line with our weekly theme, for you to download and print here.
A Sense of Adventure: World Records
Activities for the week:
We’ll explore our sense of adventure and try to break some (purple) records! Dedication’s what we’ll need!
Adventurous People: Paralympians
Activities for the week:
The first Summer Paralympic Games was held in Italy in 1960. The first Winter Paralympic Games was held in Sweden in 1976.
A Spring Adventure
Activities for the week:
This year, the start of Spring is on 20th March 2021.
Adventures in Poetry & Rhymes
Activities for the week:
Limericks, Nonsense poems, Rhyming poems, Nature poems, Sound poems, Rhythm poetry, Military chants – we’ll explore many types of poems and rhyme.
Adventures at Purple Patch
Activities for the week:
While we’re busy carrying out a big evaluation project at Purple Patch we’ll be taking a 3 week break from posting our normal Purple Patch daily activities here on our website. In the meantime, check out some of these other wonderful activities!
Adventures through time – The 1920s
Activities for the week:
The ‘Roaring’ 1920s were one hundred years ago and life was different back then. We’re going to be Putting on the Ritz this week!
Adventures to Volcanoes
Activities for the week:
There are about 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, about 500 of these have erupted over the years.
Adventures in Storytelling
Activities for the week:
National Storytelling Week runs from 30th January to 6th February.
A sense of Adventure: Gameshows
Activities for the week:
In the USA the 29th January is National Puzzle Day, to celebrate we’re going to imagine we’re on Gameshows and Quiz Shows!
Adventures in Black History
Activities for the week:
The 18th of January is Martin Luther King Day, celebrating the life and achievements of the influential American civil rights leader. He is most well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation, and for racial equality in the United States.
Adventurous News – This Week in History
Activities for the week:
This week was a very busy week in the past. In the news there was molasses, top hats, museum openings, lottery draws, batman, famous number ones, opera conducting, and Mickey Mouse!!
Adventures in Kindness
Kindness is “contagious” – research shows that people are more likely to do kind acts when they see others being kind as well. Kindness can also create contagious feelings of joy. Let’s practice being kind to ourselves & others.
Adventures to Lapland
Activities for the week:
Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region, it is an area where not many people live and is often covered in snow. Let’s take an adventure there!
Adventures Online
Activities for the week:
We’re going to take an Adventure on the World Wide Web
Adventures in sci-fi
Activities for the week:
This week we’re taking a trip in the Tardis to follow the adventures of Doctor Who.
Adventures on a train – ‘Murder’ on The Orient Express
Activities for the week:
Yikes! There’s been a suspicious incident aboard the Orient Express, we’re going to need our sleuthing skills to solve the crime!
Adventures on a train – The Orient Express
Activities for the week:
We’re going to take a journey aboard the Orient Express, a luxury train that took passengers on trips across Europe.
Adventurous News – This Week in History
Activities for the week:
We’ll be learning about news that happened this week in history.
Adventurous People – David Attenborough and Jane Goodall
Activities for the week:
This week we look at the work of the wonderful David Attenborough and Jane Goodall.
Adventures through an Underwater Museum
Activities for the week:
We’re going to take a journey under the surface of the sea to visit museums accessible only to divers and snorkelers, full of sculptures, sunken cities, shipwrecks and film props.
Adventures Through a Museum
Activities for the week:
Adventures through a museum. We’re going to take a journey through different museums, uncovering artefacts as we go.
Adventurous News in History
Activities for the week:
Adventurous News. We’ll be learning about news that happened this week in history.
Adventures to the outdoors – Mountains
Activities for the week:
Adventures to the Outdoors. We’ll be learning about the Cairngorms mountain range in Scotland.
Adventures to The Outdoors – Camping
Activities for the week:
Adventures to the Outdoors. We’ll be learning about camping, campfires, wild bears, and stargazing.
New Theme: Adventure
Activities for the week:
New Theme. Learn about what our theme of ‘Adventure’ has in store for us this year.
Daily activity 116-120: Behind the Doors of a Palace
Activities for the week:
Behind the doors at a palace.
Daily activities 111-115: The Mysteries of Africa
Activities for the week:
Africa. We’ll learn about some of the continent’s language, food, music, dance, landscape, art, and folktales
Daily activity 106-110: Famous Artists
Activities for the week:
Famous Artists. We’ll learn about famous artistic styles, art galleries, mindfulness in art, surrealist art, and Northern artists.
Daily activity 101-105: This Week in History
Activities for the week:
We’ll look back at this week in history to explore events to do with Wizard of Oz, The Beatles, the Quagga, Sridevi Kapoor, and Britpop!
Daily activities 96-100: Famous Scientists
Activities for the week:
This week we’ll learn about mysterious Scientists: Marie Curie, Galileo Galilei, Archimedes, Alexander Graham Bell and Isaac Newton.
Daily activity 95: Nature & Creativity
Fact of the day:
Green, (the mixture of blue and yellow), can be seen everywhere in nature and in many different shades. The human eye sees the colour green better than any other colour.
Daily activity 94: Sow, grow and care for your own plant, and take a herb cutting
Fact of the day:
Germination is the process by which a plant starts to grow from a seed.
Daily activity 93: Wild food, edible flowers and the power of taste!
Fact of the day:
Gathering wild leaves or food such as berries or nuts from green spaces (verges, fields, parks or hedgerows) is really fun and is called foraging.
Daily activity 92: Summer Flowers and Plants – a vivid world of colour, texture and shape.
Fact of the day:
All the amazing bright and bold colours and shapes you see in the plants around you (in both their leaves and flowers) have a purpose.
Daily activity 91: Insects and the buzzing, humming minibeast world!
Fact of the day:
All of our gardens put together make up more of Britain’s green space than all of the nature reserves combined!
Daily activity 90: Summer around the world
Fact of the day:
Summer is celebrated in many different festivals all over the world.
Daily activity 89: Summer Poems
Fact of the day:
In 2012 a sunflower in Germany made it into the Guinness World Records for being the tallest sunflower ever at 8.23 m (27 ft)!
Daily activity 88: Summer Sports
Fact of the day:
The first Wimbledon championship took place in 1877, making it the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
Daily activity 87: Summer traditions and festivities
The tradition of a picnic dates from at least the Middle Ages, when gentlemen out hunting would pause for a lavish meal outdoors.
Daily activity 86: A holiday to the seaside
In the UK no one lives more than 80 miles from the seaside. And the tallest recorded sand castle is 16.68m tall!
Daily activity 85: The Black Mambas
Fact of the day:
The Black Mambas are wildlife rangers who form South Africa’s first all-female anti-poaching unit.
Daily activity 84: Isadora Duncan
Fact of the day:
Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) is known as the ‘Mother of Modern Dance’.
Daily activity 83: Hedy Lamarr
Fact of the day:
Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was a famous Hollywood actress and an inventor.
Daily activity 82: Katia Krafft
Fact of the day:
Katia Krafft was a daredevil who was fascinated by active volcanoes. She set out to study them, capturing their beauty with her camera.
Daily activity 81: Malala Yousafzai
Fact of the day:
12th July is ‘Malala Day’, a day to celebrate Malala Yousafzai and her activism for the rights and education of girls.
Daily activity 80: The Ancient Greek Olympics
Fact of the day:
The first Greek Olympics were held in the city of Olympia in 776 BC (2,795 years ago)
Daily activity 79: Ancient Greek Mythology
Fact of the day:
Greek Mythology is the set of folk stories about envious gods, courageous heroes and epic adventures that were originally told by the ancient Greeks.
Daily activity 78: Mount Olympus
Fact of the day:
The Ancient Greeks believed their gods lived high above Mount Olympus, in a palace in the clouds.
Daily activity 77: Ancient Greek Theatre
Fact of the day:
Most ancient Greek cities had a theatre – some big enough to hold 15,000 people!
Daily activity 76: Ancient Greek civilisations
Fact of the day:
The first Ancient Greek civilisations were formed nearly 4,000 years ago
Daily activity 75: Back to the Future
Fact of the day:
On 3rd July 1985 ‘Back to the Future’ starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd was released.
Daily activity 74: Peter Kay
Fact of the day:
On 2nd July 1973 British comedian Peter Kay was born.
Daily activity 73: Debbie Harry
Fact of the day:
On July 1st 1945 Deborah Harry (lead singer of Blondie) was born.
Daily activity 72: Advertisements
Fact of the day:
On June 30, 1898 Winton Motor Carriage Company published the first known automobile advert using the headline “dispense with a horse.”
Daily activity 71: Dolly Parton at Glastonbury
Fact of the day:
On 29 June 2014, Dolly Parton played the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival for the first time.
Daily activity 70: Sports Day
Fact of the day:
Sports Days that are traditionally held at schools are called ‘Field Days’ in America.
Daily activity 69: Movement Games
Fact of the day:
Exercising improves our brain performance, especially if it includes challenges, tasks, and games.
Daily activity 68: Keep Fit Workouts
Fact of the day:
A quarter of adults aren’t active at all, yet exercise plays an important role in keeping us happy and healthy.
Daily activity 67: Dance
Fact of the day:
Dancing is a whole-body workout that’s fun. It’s good for your heart, it makes you stronger, and it can help with balance and coordination.
Daily activity 66: Yoga
Fact of the day:
21st June is International Day of Yoga. Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on strength, flexibility and breathing.
Daily activity 65: A Mindful Wander
Fact of the day:
Going for a wander outside can do wonders for our mental well-being.
Daily activity 64: Dances that brought people together
Fact of the day:
New and exciting war-time dances entertained and brought people together in a time of crisis.
Daily activity 63: Friendship Songs
Fact of the day:
‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ is a song by the Beatles from their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Daily activity 62: Artistic Duos & Collectives
Fact of the day:
Jeanne Claude and Christo were an artistic duo who created large scale public art works together. They were famous for wrapping huge landmarks, buildings and bridges in fabric.
Daily activity 61: Friendship Poetry
Fact of the day:
The first poem was written 4000 years ago in Mesopotamia. It was an epic poem that would have taken days to read!
Daily activity 60: Rock Pools
Fact of the day:
As the tide goes out, sea creatures and plants are revealed in the glittering rock pool waters left behind.
Daily activity 59: Coral Reefs
Fact of the day:
Coral reefs are living structures found underwater and are home to a diverse group of sea creatures. Coral Reefs are often called ‘Rainforests of the Sea’.
Daily activity 58: Fish and Molluscs
Fact of the day:
The majority of life on Earth is aquatic, a staggering 94% of the Earth’s living species exist within oceans.
Daily activity 57: Ocean Myths
Fact of the day:
Water and the sea play important roles in many legends and myths.
Daily activity 56: World Oceans Day
Fact of the day:
Over 70% of Earth is covered in water, this is why it’s often known as the ‘Blue Planet’.
Daily activity 55: World Environment Day
Fact of the day:
Every year on the 5th of June, people across the globe celebrate World Environment Day to raise environmental awareness. It’s an opportunity for us to think about how we can live greener lives.
Daily activity 54: Trees
Fact of the day:
Trees act like the lungs of the earth. Trees help the planet breathe by turning carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) into clean, pure oxygen.
Daily activity 53: Renewable Energy
Fact of the day:
Renewable energy sources (such as wind, wave, tidal, solar, and hydro) create less greenhouse gas.
Daily activity 52: Changes to Polar Ice Caps
Fact of the day:
Temperature changes at the North and South poles affects what species can survive there.
Daily activity 51: Climate change and weather patterns
Fact of the day:
Climate change is the increase in the planet’s temperature due to human-made emissions of greenhouse gases. The increased temperature means that there are changes in the world’s weather patterns and more common extreme weather events.
Daily activity 50: Yayoi Kusama
Fact of the day:
Yayoi Kusama is a 91 year old Japanese artist who is well-known for her repeating dot patterns. She is still making art and is Japan’s most prominent contemporary artist.
Daily activity 49: Ada Lovelace
Fact of the day:
Ada Lovelace was the world’s first computer programmer. She lived in the UK from 1815 – 1852.
Daily activity 48: Maria Sibylla Merian
Fact of the day:
Maria Sibylla Merian was naturalist and scientific illustrator, she was one of the first people to observe insects directly.
Daily activity 47: Grace Darling
Fact of the day:
In 1838 Grace Darling risked her life to rescue shipwrecked mariners off the coast of Northumberland, she safely got all survivors back to shore.
Daily activity 46: Harriet Tubman
Fact of the day:
Harriet Tubman was an African American woman who escaped slavery and then helped nearly 300 other slaves escape to freedom too.
Daily activity 45: Five Ways to Wellbeing – Take Notice
Fact of the day:
Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place around you and savouring ‘the moment’ directly enhances your well-being.
Daily activity 44: Five Ways to Wellbeing – Give
Fact of the day:
Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy.
Daily activity 43: Five Ways to Wellbeing – Keep Learning
Fact of the day:
Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem.
Daily activity 42: Five Ways to Wellbeing – Be Active
Fact of the day:
Regular physical activity is associated with a higher rate of wellbeing across all age groups.
Daily activity 41: Five Ways to Wellbeing – Connect
Fact of the day:
Feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need.
Daily activity 40: Van Gogh, Jimi Hendrix, Eurovision, & Florence Nightingale
Fact of the day:
The week starting 11th May has been a very eventful one in history.
Daily activity 39: George Lucas
Fact of the day:
On 14th May 1944 George Lucas was born In California, USA.
Daily activity 38: Monty Python
Fact of the day:
On this week in May 1969 British comedy troupe Monty Python formed.
Daily activity 37: Cats the musical
Fact of the day:
On this week in May 1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Cats” (based on poetry by T. S. Eliot) first premiered on the West End.
Daily activity 36: Amy Johnson
Fact of the day:
On 11th May 1930 Amy Johnson started on her attempted solo flight from England to Australia, some 10,000 miles away, in her ‘Gipsy Moth’ plane.
Daily Activity 35: Cleopatra
Fact of the day:
Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
Daily Activity 34: Egyptian deities and legends
Fact of the day:
Ancient Egyptians believed in more than 2,000 deities! They had gods for everything, from dangers to chores!
Daily Activity 33: Pyramids & Hieroglyphics
Fact of the day:
Most Ancient Egyptian pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs (rulers of Ancient Egypt) and their families. To date, over 130 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt.
Daily Activity 32: Pharaohs
Fact of the day:
Pharaoh is the common title of the monarchs of ancient Egypt
Daily Activity 31: The ancient civilisation of Egypt
Fact of the day:
The river Nile provided the Ancient Egyptians with food, transportation, building materials, and more. The Ancient Egyptians called the Nile the “Aur”, which means “black” like the rich soil.
Daily activity 30: Pirates of the Caribbean
Fact of the day:
The Pirates of the Caribbean film series is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World. The series surrounds the adventures of the eccentric pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow.
Daily activity 29: Pirate Ships
Fact of the day:
A good pirate ship needed three things: it needed to be seaworthy, fast, and well-armed in order to win fights.
Daily activity 28: Treasure Island
Fact of the day:
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island in 1881. It is set in the days of sailing ships and pirates and tells of the adventures of Jim Hawkins and his search for the buried treasure of an evil pirate.
Daily activity 27: Famous Pirates
Fact of the day:
Blackbeard’s real name was Edward Teach and he lived from 1680 – 1718. He was one of the most feared pirates from what has become known as ‘The Golden Age of Pirates’.
Daily activity 26: Become a Pirate
Fact of the day:
The English word “pirate” comes from the Latin term “pirata” which means ‘sea robber’ and from the Greek word “peirates” which means ‘one who attacks ships’.
Daily Activity 25: The BFG
Fact of the day:
The Big Friendly Giant is unlike other giants. He doesn’t like to eat people, and he captures dreams and keeps them in jars for people to enjoy while they were asleep.
Daily Activity 24: The Twits
Fact of the day:
Roald Dahl’s book ‘The Twits’ was first published in 1980. It tells the tale of a pair of horrible twits and the tricks they like to play on each other.
Daily Activity 23: James and the Giant Peach
Fact of the day:
In this book, James drops some magical crocodile tongues near a peach tree. This makes a peach grow to be as big as a house! James goes inside the peach and meets insects that are his size. James and the group travel in the peach across the ocean and in the sky from England to New York City.
Daily Activity 22: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fact of the day:
In this book, 5 children find golden tickets and win a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world’s most unusual candy maker, Willy Wonka.
Daily Activity 21: Roald Dahl
Fact of the day:
Roald Dahl was a spy, an ace fighter pilot, a chocolate historian and a medical inventor. As a writer his extraordinary mission was to amaze, thrill and inspire.
Daily Activity 20: Hives
Fact of the day:
A honeybee hive can contain up to 50,000 bees.
Daily Activity 19: Woodland Floors
Fact of the day:
The woodland floor has habitats hidden underground. Badgers are in their setts, rabbits in their holes, and foxes in their dens.
Daily Activity 18: Treetops
Fact of the day:
Some animals make their homes in trees. Wasps and birds live up high in nests, and squirrels live up high in dreys.
Daily Activity 17: Riverbanks
Fact of the day:
The riverbank is home to birds, mammals and insects including Kingfishers, Frogs, Newts, Voles, Shrews, Dragonfly, Otters, Herons, Toads and Beavers.
Daily Activity 16: Hedgerows
Fact of the day:
There are over 500,000 kilometres of hedgerow in Britain. That is a very large habitat for butterflies, mice and birds, spiders, and hedgehogs.
Daily Activity 15: Spring Traditions
Fact of the day:
Across the world spring is seen as a time for new beginnings, happiness and growth. Many countries have their own unique spring traditions and celebrations.
Daily Activity 14: Spring Blossom
Fact of the day:
Hanami is the Japanese tradition of celebrating blossom as the first sign of spring.
Daily Activity 13: Daffodils
Fact of the day:
Daffodils announce the beginning of the spring and the waking of nature.
Daily Activity 12: Spring Poems
Fact of the day:
William Blake wrote ‘Songs of Innocence’ in 1789; several of the poems from this collection were written to welcome the Spring.
Daily Activity 11: Spring Animals
Fact of the day:
There are about 5,000 different species of ladybirds in the world.
Daily Activity 10: Orbiting
Fact of the day:
An orbit is a repeating path that one object in space takes around another. The moon orbits the earth, and the earth orbits the sun.
Daily Activity 9: Life on the Surface of a Planet
Fact of the day:
Some planets have rings, some have red spots, some are dusty, some have water and life.
Daily Activity 8: The Planets
Fact of the day:
There are 8 main planets in our solar system – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune.
Daily Activity 7: Ursa Major & Minor
Fact of the day:
The constellation Ursa Major is also known as the Great Bear, Ursa Minor is known as the Smaller Bear.
Daily Activity 6: Constellations of Stars
Fact of the day:
A constellation is a group of visible stars that form a pattern in the sky when viewed from Earth
Daily Activities 5: A Super Poem!
Fact of the day:
Many Superheroes have superpowers, from being able to travel through time, to having superhuman strength, to having supersenses.
Daily Activities 4: Superman
Fact of the day:
Superman is famous for his blue and red suit, which features the letter S on his chest.
Daily Activities 3: The Joker
Fact of the day:
The Joker is one of Batman’s oldest enemies, and is known for his iconic laugh.
Daily Activities 2: Batman
Fact of the day:
Batman is also known as the ‘Caped Crusader’, the ‘World’s Greatest Detective’, and the ‘Dark Knight’.
Daily Activities 1: Superheroes
Fact of the day:
Superheroes are dedicated to fighting the evil of their universe, protecting the public, and battling super-villains.