We have spent two weeks learning about Diwali, the Hindu and Sikh festival of light. We have talked about the things we celebrate with our own families such as Christmas and birthdays. We learned that Diwali is a special time where people decorate their homes and celebrate with their families to remember the story of how Rama and Sita escaped the ten-headed demon, Ravana. The children retold the story with props. We made clay Diya lamps and Rangoli patterns (outdoor floor decorations), as well as Diwali cards with Mendhi patterns (traditional hand decorations). The children loved the story and when Charlotte from ‘West End in schools’ visited us to teach a dance workshop she was impressed with how well the children knew the story. They joined in really well with the dancing!
We also spend a day learning about Remembrance, inspired by the CBeebies animation ‘Poppies’. The children talked about how wartime must have been scary and how it’s important to remember their bravery. We took part in the two minutes’ silence and painted our own poppies.
We are really proud of how the children are learning to speak sensitively about their own and other cultures.
