Featured Mash

Brushing Teeth (26th June)

Brushing one’s teeth is part of everyone’s routine at least twice a day. It was invented in 1498 so who knows what people did before then to keep their teeth clean! As a theme, the toothbrush can be used to promote healthy eating and taking care of teeth (SPHE) but can go further into subjects [...]

Cycling (26th June)

The bicycle was patented in 1819 as a method of transport and although it would be expected to be obsolete, (see 23rd June), thanks to the car, the bicycle has evolved to remain one of the most important forms of transport today. Not only is the bicycle used as a method of transport, it is used in [...]

Birthday: Eric Carle (25th June)

Eric Carle was born on 25th June 1929 and is probably one of the most famous children’s authors of all time. Two of his best known books, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See? are staples in infant classrooms. There are so many themed lessons out there based on [...]

Fairies (24th June)

According to Punchbowl, International Fairy Day, the 24th June, is a day for fairy believers young and old to celebrate the stories, magic, and history of the Fair Folk. For centuries, fairies have been an important part of Celtic culture. In all of the ancient legends, these mythological creatures are described as intelligent, mischievous, and [...]

Obsolete Inventions (23rd June)

The typewriter was patented on the 23rd June 1868 and became the standard way of printing for over a century. However, the computer has all but reduced the typewriter to the dustbin of history. However, the QWERTY keyboard layout is the remnant left from this invention. Lots of inventions in history are no longer used [...]

Sweden (22nd June)

On the 22nd June, 1906, the Swedish flag was adopted. Sweden is an interesting country. For example, it is the third largest country in the European Union by area. Sweden is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Øresund. Since the early 19th century Sweden has been at peace and has avoided war, despite their [...]

Summer Solstice (21st June)

A solstice is an astronomical event that happens twice each year when the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that [...]

World Refugee Day (20th June)

World Refugee Day, observed on June 20th each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world. [Image from the UN web site]

Garfield (19th June)

Garfield is a very lazy cat who debuted in a comic strip in 1978. Owned by Jon who also has to contend with a silly puppy called Odie, Garfield is still one of the most popular cartoons today. As a theme, there’s plenty of scope here to cover subtopics such as pets, dogs, cats and [...]

Juneteenth (19th June)

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth,[1] and is recognized as a [...]