VE day or Victory in Europe day marks the day when the guns fell silent at the end of the war in Europe. The announcement that the war in Europe had ended came at 3pm on 8th May 1945, by Prime Minister Winston Churchill.  The day was celebrated with street parties and celebrations, and many people gathered outside Buckingham Palace dressed in Red, White and Blue. Although the day marked the end of the war in Europe it was not the end of World War Two and amongst the celebrations, there was also a great deal of sadness for those who had lost loved ones in the war and for those who were still fighting or were still held as a prisoner of war.

There are several activities within Purple Mash that can be used by children to commemorate VE Day. Why not use 2Paint A Picture to recreate a VE Day street party. They could also research the events of VE Day and write a newspaper report from May 8th 1945, explaining what happened as well as capturing the thoughts of people on the day.  Children can use the WW2 parachute jump mashcam and think about what it would have been like to jump out of an aeroplane over Normandy 76 years ago. Children can complete our VE Day quiz and use 2Quiz to create their own and share with others in the class. Children could also take The Turing Test and ensure that the Enigma machine works correctly.

VE Day did not mean the end of the war and rationing stayed in place throughout the country, children could use this template to find out more about rationing in WW2 and how it affected the people of Britain.

Whatever you do to commemorate VE day we would love to see your work on Twitter @2SimpleSoftware or @PurpleMash, or on Facebook @2SimpleUK.