2020 is The Year of The Nurse and The Midwife and I am sure we can all agree what an appropriate time it is to be celebrating our NHS heroes!

This international year of nurses and midwives was designated by the World Health Organisation and it coincides with Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year. Today, 12^th May 2020, is Florence Nightingale’s 200^th Birthday.

 

Who was Florence Nightingale?

 

Short stories about Florence Nightingale

Discover more about 'the lady with the lamp'

Freshwater Theatre Company has produced a special message from Florence Nightingale:

Listen to this special message from Florence Nightingale

Questions:

• Why was it such a shock for Florence to become a nurse?
• How successful was Florence Nightingale in the hospital in Scutari?
• How did Florence change hospitals?
• Does Florence Nightingale deserve to be famous?

 

 

Who was Mary Seacole?

 

Mary Seacole was another fantastic nurse who helped soldiers in the Crimean War.

Learn about Mary Seacole

Find out more with these BBC history videos

Use the information in the BBC history videos to help you answer these questions...

Questions:

• What obstacles did Mary Seacole overcome to be able to nurse the soldiers in the Crimean War?
• How did Mary Seacole help British soldiers?
• How do you think Mary Seacole should have been treated after the Crimean War?

 

 

Who was Edith Cavell?

 

Edith Cavell is known for her bravery and courage in the First World War.

Learn about Edith Cavell

Questions:

• How was Edith Cavell courageous?
• Why do we remember Edith Cavell?

 

 

Discover more...

 

Take a look at this historical timeline to see when important events in the lives of Nurses Nightingale, Seacole and Cavell happened during the 19th and 20th centuries:

Nurses' Timeline

 

There are many nurses from around the world who have helped the progress of nursing and medicine. 

Can you find out about any others?

 

 

English, PSHCE and History Activities

 

• Read these information pages about the work of modern-day nurses and then scroll down to have a go at answering the comprehension questions: click here.

• Create a job description for a nurse or a midwife. What skills and attributes will they need? You could use this writing template to help you: click here.

• Compare Victorian and modern-day hospitals. For activity sheets, click here.

• Create a historical fact file about one of the nurses you've learnt about today. Here's an example: click here.

• Create a poster to display in your window, telling passersby about The International Year of The Nurse and The Midwife. If you have access to a printer, you could colour one of these sheets, or create your own!