Interesting facts about Great Britain for children, 3rd grade students

Once upon a time, Great Britain was considered one of the most influential countries in the world - its government had countless colonies around the world that declared their independence through revolutions and less radical methods.

Since then, the political significance of the country has changed somewhat, but in many ways its people have remained true to themselves and retained the primness, politeness and English humor inherent in true Englishmen.

We present to your attention a list of 10 interesting facts about Great Britain for children and 3rd grade students: short excerpts from the history of the kingdom that will help you better understand the peculiarities of the life of the British.

Londoners prefer Indian cuisine

Incredibly, England and India have a lot in common. This is explained, of course, by the fact that the British government led India for many years, and during this time the peoples managed to adopt various cultural traits from each other. This concerns not only the language and the obvious love of tea, but also the cuisine.

The British do not have a national cuisine as such (except for the full British breakfast and various puddings), but in almost every restaurant in London you can find a dish with Indian origins on the menu .

Some representatives of English youth do not even know that such popular dishes as chicken in tikka massala sauce or in creamy tomato sauce, paneer cutlets with potatoes and spicy gravy are not discoveries of their country at all, but traditional Indian dishes.

The most interesting and unusual facts about Great Britain - for adults and children

Greetings, my dear readers.

I don’t know what and in what quantities we lose every year wandering around the city, but the British say goodbye to 800 umbrellas in the subway every year! Can you already imagine this dump of small cane umbrellas? I see them clearly)).

In this regard, today our topic is Great Britain: interesting facts. You will learn only about the most interesting things, and at the end, for especially inquisitive minds, I will give you a mini-summary of everything said in English! If this is not enough, then here you can additionally find out what this country is so famous for.

Of course, we know almost more about the country of origin of the English language than our own. But do you know the most interesting facts about her? Let’s check it now.

If you manage to live to be 100 years old, expect a personal card from the Queen as a gift.
In our country - and in neighboring countries too - there is a strict prohibition for children: drinking alcoholic beverages is only allowed from the age of 16, but in the UK it is officially allowed to do this at home from - attention! - 5 years!
All horses, donkeys and ponies are required to have a passport. If you accidentally take your horse for a walk in the evening and you don't have proof, you will receive a fine of £5,000.
You have to be very careful with the mail. Put a stamp with the image of an official upside down - that's it: you are a state traitor.
Surprisingly, England has the highest rate of obesity in the world. True, there is a small note here - among European countries.
Receiving a gold medal at the Olympics is an honor. But at the last Olympics, the gold medals consisted of 93% silver and only 1.3% gold.
London is the capital. And this explains why 16% of all UK establishments are located there.
The country's inhabitants are incredibly tolerant of the cold. If in November, while walking around the city, you see a man in a T-shirt, don’t be surprised, everything is fine.
The cost of a taxi there is simply incredible. But you can stop the car like in any movie - anywhere and at any time simply by waving your hand.
You can get from London to Paris by train in 2 hours. But at the same time, a significant part of the population has either been to Paris once or not at all.
Everyone get educated! With this slogan, I will reveal to you the fact that admission to all the main museums in the country is absolutely free. You just need to decide for yourself how much you want to donate to the museum for its development.
In the subway car, passengers leave the newspapers they read for the next readers. Thus, a newspaper passes through a hundred hands per day. What about us? We don't read newspapers!
You will not see stray animals on city streets, and a black cat will never cross your path - they are all kept in specialized nurseries.
There are very few sushi bars in London, but an incredible amount of Indian restaurants.
Every weekend, homemade and farm food fairs open at many venues in the city. And after 13.00 - look for fistulas - you won’t find them anywhere.
It is not customary to wash clothes at home. There are laundries in every area.
From the life of an ordinary Englishman: after 9-10 pm you won’t be able to go to the store - everything is already closed. I wonder how people who like to eat at night live?
There are legends all over the world about the country's schools and boarding houses. Surprisingly, children are required to study there for 13 years. After that, you either go to university or go to work.
Fact about Christmas: the British try to spend this holiday with their family. But the New Year is not a particularly important event for them.
Snow in England is an event. If even 1 centimeter of snow falls in the morning, the whole city stands still: transport doesn’t run, planes don’t fly—nothing can work properly!

about the royal family of England than about any other family in the world. For example:

The law establishes that the monarch is the owner of all whales and dolphins in the country's coastal waters. Well, isn't it a strange law?
Princess Diana worked as a kindergarten teacher and laundress.
History fact: Queen Elizabeth took courses and worked as a driver in World War II.
By the way, about the queen: the actual and state dates of birth of the monarch are different. Elizabeth celebrates her birthday on April 21, but the whole country celebrates it in early June.

I think I promised you some tips in English? Well, here you go:

Great Britain is the country we know almost everything about. But there are some facts we don't know. For example: if you are 100 years old you will get a personal post-card from the Queen. You can travel from the center of London to the center of Paris for 2 hours. There are no homeless cats or dogs on the streets. People in England don't usually do the laundry themselves. There are lots of washing houses in the district. What about the Queen, the celebration of the Queen's birthday takes place in June. Interesting fact is that the Queen was born on the 21st of April. The Queen used to work as a driver during the Second World War. The English people can bear any temperature: there are people walking on the streets in T—shirts in November. And the last but not the least: there are about 800 umbrellas lost in the underground every year.
Useful expressions:
to get a post-card from - get a postcard from
to travel from place to place - travel from place to place
to do the laundry - wash things
to take place in June - take place in June
to bear the temperature - endure the temperature
the last but not the least - last in order, but not in importance

Well, have you stocked up on new knowledge? Hope so. I am sure that for 3rd grade, whose students have to read about Great Britain more than once, these facts will be very useful, and for any adult, perhaps unexpected. Now, when you look at a photo of Great Britain, you will immediately remember these facts.

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Dynasties are one of the foundations of public mentality

The stiffness and snobbery of the British have long been a distinctive feature of this people. They are extremely skeptical about visitors. And all because dynasties are still important for the majority of the country’s population , especially older generations, even though the division into classes has long been a thing of the past.

A true Englishman would be more willing to communicate with a poor representative of a “big name” than with a rich and successful “upstart”.

Madame Tussauds museum

Madame Tussauds was the last thing we visited in London because we were afraid of the promised queues. As a result, even with the help of fast track, we stood for about forty minutes. Inside are wax figures of Hollywood actors, world politicians, pop stars, athletes - everything is as it should be.

All the wives of Henry VIII do not fit into the frame

Of the Russians, only Putin and gymnast Olga Korbut are a strange bunch. And we took a photo with the most democratic politician - the mayor of London since 2008, Boris Johnson - a former journalist, an avid cyclist, father of four children and a great original.

By the way, thanks to him, there are so many bicycle rentals in the British capital that they are really convenient to use, which both citizens and tourists happily do. True, the latter are increasingly riding in the endless London parks, where there are special bicycle paths. But be careful: extremely sporty Londoners drive around them at breakneck speeds, so it will be safer with small children in those parts of the parks where cycling is prohibited.

The most impressive part of the tour is definitely the 4D movie about superheroes from Marvel comics.

The installation with Spider-Man was made “upside down” - so that the photo creates the effect that you are stuck to the ceiling

In addition to the stereo image, there are also real special effects: it really starts to blow you out of your chair when the green giant Hulk claps his hands, and splashes with water when a double-decker red London bus falls into the fountain. The children are delighted.

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Thrift is the main feature of the British

Charles Dickens wrote the story of the stingy Scrooge at the end of the 19th century, but stinginess and stinginess are still among the main traits of the British . This manifests itself both in everyday life and in communication.

Firstly, the attitude towards water. Precious moisture has always remained very expensive for the islanders, and although the plumbing system has now improved, British residents still use two taps in their sinks - one for hot and one for cold water. When the sink is filled with mixed temperature water, it is used. Others may find it unhygienic, but the British prefer to save on bills.

Secondly, in bistros, diners are sometimes asked not to throw away disposable plates after eating, but to return them to be washed and reused later.

And thirdly, there are rumors that it is almost impossible to borrow money from a real Briton - people are reluctant to part with their savings.

Personal time and space for the British is sacred

Making a close acquaintance with a British person is quite difficult - in a conversation you will talk about any abstract topic. In conversations, residents of London and other cities try not to touch on controversial topics such as family or politics, preferring to talk about the weather.

Excessive emotionality is also not welcome here - kisses or impulsive hugs when meeting: personal space is considered unshakable and violating it without the person’s permission is simply impolite .

The same applies to time - if the British invite you to visit at a certain hour, then late arrivals are not welcome, as well as early arrivals, even if these are just friendly get-togethers.

English humor is quite specific

Native English humor has also become a well-known feature of the British . Perhaps this is why comedies produced in Great Britain are still not particularly popular in the world - not everyone can understand complex jokes.

The main components of a good English joke are a maximum of intelligence and sarcasm, as well as leisurely behavior: sometimes the jokes last for 10 minutes. It is interesting that here, unlike a conversation, there are no taboo topics - the British will gladly laugh at themselves and at the government or sexual life of society.

York is the most haunted city in Europe

One of the most popular tours in York is the haunted house tour . There are a lot of them in the city: most of the ghosts, according to legend, are concentrated in what remains of the walls of York Castle. There they regularly hear the screams of children, strange blows, and even footsteps. There really were a lot of deaths in this building - at one time there was a prison there, and in the 12th century the Jewish community committed a group act of suicide.

The city itself is also full of ghosts: a “scraping girl” whose family died during the plague, victims of a former orphanage, or Roman soldiers from the barracks that were once located here.

Science Museum

The museum, which is already more than 150 years old, is stunning in its size: not a single child will have the strength or patience to go around everything, so it is better to immediately decide at the entrance where you will go. And one more thing: it is implied that it would be nice to donate at least £5 to the museum - this is what is written on the piggy bank that the employees hold as they let visitors through the turnstile.

For very young children there is paradise on the “minus first” floor, that is, in the basement: playing with water, lifting weights, blocks, crowing chairs and other joys of learning about the world. There is also a cafe, a children's toilet, a drinking fountain and a large “picnic area” to run around and eat what you brought with you.

On the same floor there is an exhibition “The Secret Life of the House”: telephones and alarms, washing machines and motion sensors - everything is fascinating, visual and interesting. And you can touch everything!

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And you can even play with some exhibits. For example, you can try to fool the alarm and get to a safe in a dark gallery or get into an apartment through a window.

Children are particularly delighted with the game that shows how the toilet works.

A funny plumber unexpectedly peeking out of the toilet... hanging from the ceiling distracts you from the intense flushing of water.

Boys who love mechanisms and mothers who run the house will be interested in seeing how household appliances have changed over the past 100 years.

Advertising from the 1920s presenting a product of unspeakable luxury for elegant ladies - a refrigerated cabinet

This is what a solarium looked like at the beginning of the 20th century: an advertising poster depicts a mother and baby sunbathing under an ultraviolet lamp

Prototypes of vacuum cleaners

An older child can be immediately taken to the 3rd floor - to the experimental gaming space Launchpad. It is written that this is for children 8-14 years old, but in reality, of course, preschoolers also willingly run there. A lot of interesting experiments, games for everyone - and experiments that the museum staff conducts every hour.

When we were there, a girl in a hijab and a branded T-shirt, with the help of children, launched a “water rocket”:

And here you need to use fans to “swim” on a sailboat from one shore to the other. But this boy decided to wade.

William Shakespeare is the most famous writer in the world

In recent years, the name of William Shakespeare has been surrounded by various kinds of hoaxes - they said that the writer did not exist at all, and that his works were written by “literary slaves” - but it never occurs to anyone to deny his creative heritage. His plays, written in the 16th century, are still relevant today.

It is curious that, as often happens, Shakespeare’s works are more popular abroad than in the UK itself, where they are included in the school curriculum - according to statistics, after graduation, few Britons return to the writer’s books, but in the world they read the plays with pleasure.

London style

You've probably heard about the full English breakfast (fried eggs, beans, toast, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon). But they don’t eat it every morning, because it takes a lot of time to prepare, so they treat themselves to it on weekends. On weekdays, they still don’t skip breakfast; they mostly eat cereal or muesli with milk and drink tea. Yes, they are really big fans of this drink and drink it at any free moment.

London style

Form of government - parliamentary monarchy

Despite the fact that the parliamentary monarchy still exists in many countries, it was in England that it became a distinctive feature of the mentality .

The British love the royal family very much and follow the events in their lives no less than gossip about movie or music stars. Suffice it to say that the recent weddings of the young princes - William and Harry - gathered a whole crowd of residents and guests of the country in front of the palace, where they were on duty in the hope of seeing the newlyweds.

It should be noted that among some Englishmen there is also growing dissatisfaction with the monarchs - the luxurious life of a family in the palace is very expensive for ordinary residents due to high taxes, while they do not take any part in politics, because parliament makes all decisions.

Features of English culture

Let's talk about English traditions, which are just as exciting and colorful. 1) Probably the most favorite holiday for children is Christmas Eve. After all, it is then that children can hang their socks on the fireplace and wait with bated breath for miracles and gifts from Santa (Father Christmas). 2) Guy Fawkes Night/Bonfire Night is famous for the fact that the British set fire to effigies at the stake. 3) On Remembrance Day, they wear red poppies as a symbol of remembrance for those killed during the war. 4) National Morris Dancing ━ National Morris Day is very bright, because in May, throughout the entire month, people wear beautiful costumes, take white scarves and dance fiery folk dances. You can see such diversity mainly in small villages. 5) It is also worth noting the famous Changing of the Guard, which takes place near Buckingham Palace every day.

Windsor Castle is the largest royal residence in the world

The royal family's castle in the County of Windsor has long held the record for the largest territory . Over the 900 years of its existence, it was rebuilt numerous times. Now it covers an area of more than 45,000 square meters, and the number of rooms exceeds a thousand.

Excursions are organized for tourists to the castle so that they can appreciate the puppet theater, the queen’s chambers, large servants’ quarters, and the location of the entire garrison of soldiers responsible for the safety of the monarchs.

Great Britain includes 4 countries

Every schoolchild knows that London is the capital of Great Britain. But only a few realize that in fact the United Kingdom includes 4 full-fledged countries with their own capitals - England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland .

London is not only the main city for England, but also for the whole of Britain, because it is the political, cultural and economic center of the country.

Currently, not all countries are happy with such an alliance - news appears in the press every now and then about the imminent secession of Scotland or Ireland, but so far the situation has not changed.

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The Second World War

The British Armed Forces participated in the war from its beginning until the very end. The Second World War was a decisive factor in the collapse of the empire.

During World War II, Elizabeth 2nd worked as a driver and mechanic.
During the war, England was an ally of the USSR. They fought together against fascism. England helped Soviet soldiers in every possible way.
After the war, many British colonies separated from the Kingdom and declared their independence. Some of them later united to form the Commonwealth of Nations to maintain economic ties.
Britain's most powerful force in World War II was its navy.
During the war and post-war times, industrial productivity in the country fell and the area under cultivation decreased. Great Britain felt the crisis.