April - easy reading

In April, the days are longer and the evenings are lighter. It’s now British Summer Time (BST). The weather is usually warmer and some years there is quite a lot of rain.

Everything grows quickly in the garden. There are some pretty flowers in April. There are tulips in the gardens and bluebells in the woods. Some birds fly to Britain for for the summer and they arrive here in April.
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​The first day in April is April Fools’ Day. This is a day when people can play jokes or tricks on other people. There is often a story in the newspaper which is not true but it’s a joke. In 1957, there was a story on BBC TV about spaghetti trees in Switzerland and a lot of people believed it!

Easter is often in April but it can be in March too. (You can read about Easter here.) The children have two weeks’ holiday from school, then the summer term starts in April. Children start learning for their exams at the end of the school year.

The Boat Race usually takes place in April. This is a rowing race between teams from Cambridge and Oxford universities, usually on the River Thames in London. There’s a men’s race and a women’s race. The race is nearly 7 km long. Thousands of people go to the river to watch and many more watch it on TV.

The London Marathon is also in April. This running race is about 26 miles (or 42 kilometres) long. It's for both professional athletes and amateur runners. A lot of people wear costumes and make money for charity. 

April 23rd is Saint George’s Day but it isn’t a holiday and isn’t celebrated much nowadays. Saint George is the patron saint of England. This day might be the birthday of William Shakespeare, although nobody knows the exact date. He also died on this day in 1616, aged 52.


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