July 29, 2024

31 Days of Living Like a Londoner – Summer Challenge

Want to experience life in the Big Smoke without actually… you know, going there? No problem at all. You can recreate the lifestyle from anywhere in the world, without even leaving home – just follow our helpful guide.

Day 1

Turn an old bit of cardboard into an Oyster card. Remember to have it ready and bleep it wherever you go!

Day 2

Play guitar with your teeth like Jimi Hendrix.

Day 3

Always stand on the right. ALWAYS. (Or is it the left?)

Day 4

Grow a looooong beard, like Old Father Thames.

Day 5

Try jellied eels.

Day 6

Make art with elephant dung, like Chris Ofili.

Day 7

Talk exclusively in Cockney rhyming slang.

Day 8

Build a massive sculpture like Anish Kapoor.

Day 9

Mind the gap.

Day 10

Stand trial for piracy like (notorious pirate) Captain William Kidd.

Day 11

Roll out the barrel (Literally any barrel will do).

Day 12

Treat the sick and injured, like Mary Seacole.

Day 13

Stand guard like a Beefeater.

Day 14

Make your own clothes like Poly Styrene.

Day 15

Go ravin’ with a raven.

Day 16

Paint a river at sunset, like J. M. W. Turner (see our activity on how to recreate a Turner masterpiece here).

Day 17

Learn to play the spoons.

Day 18

Run 18 miles a day, like Mo Farah.

Day 19

Get cross at slow walkers (being generally bad-tempered is crucial to London life).

Day 20

Give a great speech like Elizabeth I.

Day 21

Learn to samba.

Day 22

Hide in a broom cupboard like Emily Wilding-Davison.

Day 23

Queue.

Day 24

Stand and deliver like Dick Turpin.

Day 25

Enjoy a scotch egg whilst doing a jigsaw puzzle (both were invented in London, don’t you know!).

Day 26

Paint your face like Ziggy Stardust.

Day 27

Hunt for the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus).

Day 28

Eat a marmalade sandwich like you-know-who (Paddington, obv).

Day 29

Design a carnival float and select your playlist.

Day 30

Bring the court to order, like Bobbie Cheema-Grubb.

Day 31

Meet a parakeet.

Did you enjoy this daily challenge? Then you’d love all the facts and activities in AQUILA magazine. Make sure you click here, to subscribe!

Words: Freya Hardy. Illustration: Takayo Akiyama