As part of our Learning Means the a World theme, ‘Come Fly With me Asia’ we have been looking at China, it’s culture, traditions and what you might see if you visit. We looked at the Chinese Zodiac and the 12 animals that represented each year. The children in our class were born in either the year of the ‘dog’ or ‘rooster’. We went outdoors and raced against each other using the 12 animal masks to see who won each time. The children were great sports and had lots of fun. They have also been looking at Chinese writing and having a go! We also have a Chinese restaurant that the children are visiting regularly!
This week the children had a fantastic opportunity to take part in R.E workshops based around the Indian festival Lights ‘Diwali’. Diwali is the five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world. Diwali, which for some also coincides with harvest and New Year celebrations, is a festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Kalpesh from K’z Dance Entertainment Ltd taught all the children some traditional Bollywood Indian dances and discussed with them the meaning of the Diwali festival and taught them the story of Rama and Sita. The children ended their workshops with a traditional Diwali dance using sticks (Dhandhiya). The children and staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves and displayed some fantastic moves.
We have been learning about the Harvest Festival, why we traditionally have this festival in the UK and why. We then looked at various foods including fruit and vegetables and where they come from. The children used their senses to describe how they looked, felt and smell. They then became artists and drew some of the foods! Later, we will be tasting some vegetable soup!
This week in our maths we have been exploring pattern. We saw patterns in our environment, produced some of our own and became pattern experts!
