On Monday 16th November we celebrated Diwali throughout the school. Read on to find out how each class celebrated!
Swallow Class (Year 5 and 6)
Swallows Class thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the traditions and celebrations of Diwali. All of them were over the moon about getting to try various foods (the mango chutney was a particular success) and they learned about the story of Rama and Sita. Using plenty of colours, they set to work creating beautiful rangoli patterns whilst listening to some traditional sitar music. Everyone really enjoyed celebrating this festival and learning more about other cultures and religions.
Pheasants Class (Year 3 and 4)
One of the children dressed up to show the clothes he would wear to the Temple in London. He then showed his class his family’s statue of Ganesh and told them they would give it offerings of flowers, fruit and water. He also sang a beautiful prayer in Tamal which was breathtaking! The class watched the story of Ramu and Sita and had some naan bread and poppadom’s with mango chutney but were aware that Hindu children usually celebrate Diwali with special boxes of sweets. Having seen some examples of Mendi hand patterns, the children created their own.
Kingfisher Class (Year 1 and 2)
Happy Diwali and Saal Mubarak from Kingfisher Class. The children engaged enthusiastically with the day’s activities, which included story sequencing, roleplay, story retell, Indian food tasting, diva lamp making and rangoli pattern creating. We learnt about the Hindu belief that Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, would be welcomed into our classroom to bring wealth and good fortune into our lives for the coming year. The children also enjoyed learning about how Hindus celebrate Diwali and comparing this to celebrations in other faiths. The awe and wonder moment was seeing a sari, made up of 4 metres of raw silk fabric, wrapped rather clumsily into an outfit. Much fun and enthusiasm was experienced by all!
Red Kites Class (Year R and 1)
We had a lovely day celebrating Diwali! We watched a video which explained that Diwali is the Festival of Light and is celebrated by Hindus. We learnt about the story of Rama and Sita and the triumph of good over evil. The Reception children made Rangoli patterns with chalk on the concrete outside and in playdough using seeds, lentils, beans and peas. Some of us made “Indian sweets and cakes” using the playdough too! In the afternoon we all sat at tables with pretend diva lamps and tasted a variety of Indian food. We tried vegetable samosas and pakoras, onion bhajis, Naan bread, poppadoms and Mango chutney. Yum yum!
