Children's Art Week 2024

In this series of short videos we will tell you about the artwork in our 'To The Stars' temporary art exhibition and set you a creative challenge inspired by that artwork. Each day explores a different theme or artistic technique.

Day One - Collage

Day Two - Drawing with Grids

Day Three - Movement

Day Four - Portraiture

Day Five - Detailed Drawing

30 Years of Women in the RAF

April 2024 marks 30 years since the Royal Air Force and  Women’s Royal Air Force merged to create one unified organisation that was stronger together. To celebrate we have made a video celebrating the work of women in the Air Force from 1918 to today. With lots of people stories and opportunities to discuss, it’s ideal for a PSHE session!

Our Local History: A Children’s Walking Tour of Colindale

A short film exploring on foot the historic site of the London Aerodrome and RAF Hendon. Co-written and narrated by pupils of Colindale Primary School in the year of their school’s centenary. Produced by the Royal Air Force Museum with thanks to the Trustees of the Museum and of the Royal Aero Club Trust.

Local to Colindale? – why not follow in Colindale Primary’s footsteps with your class? Use this map to help locate the various stops on the tour.

100 Years of the Royal Canadian Air Force

In 1924 the Royal Canadian Air Force was formed. In this video we share some of the stories, aircraft and artefacts we have here at the RAF Museum which link the RAF and the RCAF over the last 100 years.

An Introduction to 100 Years of Flight with Dulcie Gull

Click here for a subtitled version

World Book Day

Jamaican Stories

This video takes pupils back in time to discover the stories of five inspiring Jamaicans who volunteered to join the RAF. Filmed at the Museum, the video shows aircraft flown, and the uniforms worn by Jamaican personnel over the past one hundred years.

The Spitfire Fund - short story

The RAF Museum’s Children’s Author in Residence, Tom Palmer, has written a time-travelling short story commemorating the 80th anniversary of that significant turning point in British history – the Battle of Britain.

Join Yusra, Lily and Danny on their amazing adventures in ‘The Spitfire Fund‘.

Reading comprehension activities and writing challenges accompany each chapter. Written for children aged 7+.

The Story of Ray Holmes

Graphic novel telling the story of Ray Holmes, the RAF Volunteer Reserve who, in September 1940 jumped from his bath to take flight in his Hurricane aeroplane to defend the country from German invasion. Discover how his adventure saw him bale out over Buckingham Palace!
(please note that this contains PG-rated language which is appropriate to the era)

Layla takes to the skies

Written to celebrate World Book Day. Ideal for a short class read. click here for the story

NEW Sensory Stories for SEND pupils

We have created some new Sensory Stories for use in schools, all with a Royal Air Force Museum link. You can choose from:

Aircraft factory - find out what was involved in building aircraft during the First World War

Noor Inayat Khan - the true story of a brave Muslim woman working undercover in occupied France during the Second World War

Trevor Edwards - the story of a fast jet pilot

Windrush - roughly one third of the Windrush’s passengers were RAF personnel returning from leave or veterans re-joining the service.

• Second World War timeline
• Timeline of Evacuation
• 100 Years of the RAF Timeline

• Battle of Britain online exhibition
• British Science Week 2022 - Aeroplane development
• International Women's Day 2024: Stories, Drawing and Colouring
• World Mental Health Day 2023: Mindfulness Art Activities

Windrush

June 2023 - the 75th anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush arriving in Britain. Did you know that roughly one third of the Windrush’s passengers were RAF airmen returning from leave or veterans re-joining the service?

Wings and Waves: Windrush and the RAF

Discover the tales of RAF veterans whose stories are connected to Windrush in celebration of their generation’s amazing contribution to building modern Britain.

Art

Level Two Art and Design students at Barnet and Southgate College explored the story of Windrush and its connection to the RAF in this digital art exhibition. Check out their work in the video below!

Character Cards

Dip into our new character cards to discover the stories of eleven men and women of African and Caribbean descent who did – or are still doing - amazing things both in the RAF and in their civilian lives. Includes fun facts and activities to get your pupils involved.

Colouring Sheets

Get creative and learn more about RAF members from the Windrush generation with our free downloadable colouring sheets!

To boost confidence and help address gaps in English, we have created resources which use RAF stories to encourage and inspire fantastic readers and amazing writers!

Literacy Themes

Saving Lives - KS1 resources (Saving Lives) and KS2 resources (Saving Lives)

Teamwork - KS1 resources (Teamwork) and KS2 resources (Teamwork)

Bravery - KS1 resources (Bravery) and KS2 resources (Bravery)

The Bravest Person in the World (KS1) Listen to the audio here. Download the transcript here.

Daphne Pearson (KS2) Listen to the audio here. Download the transcript here.

Rationing - KS1 resources (Rationing) and KS2 resources (Rationing)

Rationing Newscast (KS2) Listen to the audio here. Download the transcript here.

Keeping in Touch - KS1 resources (Keeping in touch) and KS2 resources (Keeping in touch)

To my best friend (KS1) Listen to the audio here. Download the transcript here.

Resilience - KS1 resources (Resilience) and KS2 resources (Resilience)

Riding a bike (KS1) Listen to the audio here. Download the transcript here.

Robbie Clarke (KS2) Listen to the audio here. Download the transcript here.

Innovation - KS1 resources (Innovation) and KS2 resources (Innovation)

Celebration - KS1 resources (Celebration) and KS2 resources (Celebration)

Numeracy

Whether you're looking for parachuting fractions, Spitfire calculations or solving problems about rationing, our Museum Maths resources are here to help.

Falling Fractions

Parachutes save lives. Air travel has changed greatly since the first flight by the Wright brothers back in 1903, but one thing has not changed, the need for safety. There is one piece of equipment that is vital for any aircrew flying in an aircraft, and that is the Parachute. Parachutes really do save lives by helping the user land on the ground in a slow, safe, and controlled manner.

We have some parachuting questions that will have you adding, subtracting, and doing fractions all the way down.

When you’ve finished the activities, why not listen to Peter Keane talk about his experiences of being apart of the RAF Specialist Parachute testing team. He took part in nearly 2000 jumps, and in one of them set a world record in 1967 for a jump from 42,500ft (or 8 miles) high!

For an additional activity, have a go at making your own parachute!

KS1 Falling Fractions Activity

KS1 Falling Fractions Answers

Maths Through Time

From the beginning of the First World War, the RAF have evolved over time and as such, so has their equipment. The aircraft and uniform they use has been adapted to respond to the change in use. The numeracy questions below look at some of the differences between older and newer aircraft and equipment. Shape is really important when it comes to thinking about aircraft - can you answer our questions and compare the pictures?

Once you have completed the questions, why not listen to some RAF stories to explore further? You can learn all about the different types of uniform used - from boots to helmets and everything in between! Shape, size, design and style are all really important for uniform to make sure it is suitable for its job and to keep the wearer happy! 

KS1 Maths Through Time Activity

Numeracy

Whether you're looking for parachuting fractions, Spitfire calculations or solving problems about rationing, our Museum Maths resources are here to help.

Battle Coordinates

The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and the Royal Observer Corps are just two of the groups of people involved in the historic success of the Battle of Britain. Part of their success came from using maths and calculating coordinates. Learn more about their work with our new numeracy resource – Battle Coordinates! When you've completed the worksheets, why not listen to the stories of Katherine Du Plat-Taylor who served with the WAAF in the Ops Rooms during the Battle of Britain? 

KS2 Battle Coordinates Activity

KS2 Battle Coordinates Answers

Rationing

The rationing of essential items became a part of every day life during the Second World War. In order to ensure everyone got their fair share, there was often a little bit of maths involved! Learn all about rationing and answer our numeracy questions - don't forget to show your working out! When you've finished, why not listen to Eileen O'Sullivan talk about her experience of rationing during the Second World War? (Psst...the secret password is the answer to the first question!)

KS2 Rationing Activity and Answers

Finished the rationing activity? Why not check out our Second World War rationing recipes which you can create at home.

Second World War Traditional Recipes 

Spitfire Maths

Read through this short story about the Supermarine Spitfire, written by children's author Tom Palmer, and then complete the mathematics comprehension activity. When you've completed the activity, why not listen to the story of Hazel Hill - the real Spitfire Mathematician? 

The Letter - Short Story by Tom Palmer (pdf 328kb)

Spitfire Maths Activity (pdf 337kb)

Over time from the First World War, aircraft uniform and equipment has changed to respond to the change in use. The Maths questions below look at some of the differences between older and newer aircraft and equipment. Shape is really important, can you answer the questions on shape and compare the pictures.                                   

Once you have completed the maths questions listen to the stories about changes to some uniform, shape, size, design and style are all really important for uniform to make sure it is suitable for its job and to keep the wearer happy! 

Our Inspiring Writing Resource is designed to inspire your students to get creative with a range of different text types; from diaries and poetry to story starters, propaganda posters and even comic strips. Use the RAF Museum's incredible collections, people and stories to immerse your students in a world of writing. 

Accompanying Teacher Notes will assist you with tips for how to use this resource in your classroom.

Inspiring Writing Resource

Inspiring Writing Resource Teachers Notes

Aiming for Awesome

STEM resources for Key Stage 2 and 3 students, exploring the engineering achievements of the RAF over the last 100 years. Developed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, each resource allows students to explore the applications of knowledge they learn in Science, Design and Technology, Mathematics and Computing.

RAF Stories

Launched as part of the Museum’s RAF Centenary Programme, RAF Stories is an online collection of videos from people who have a connection to the Royal Air Force and want to share their experiences.