This term Reception are learning about different celebrations. They have met some characters – a bear and a hare! They have found out previously that these animals like to sleep throughout winter therefore the bear has asked the children to see if they can find out about the celebrations he will be missing whilst he is hibernating. The children have learnt about Halloween, Autumn and Bonfire night and this week they are learning about Diwali. The children have found out that Diwali means ‘festival of light.’ They have enjoyed watching videos which have shown how to make Diva lamps. In indoor learning they have loved creating their own rangoli patterns using 2D shapes and have also enjoyed painting some. They have discovered that rangoli patterns are created to welcome guests and to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people’s homes.
The children have listened to the story of Rama and Sita which is read throughout Diwali. They have loved joining in with the talking text and adding their own actions. They have also seen some photos of tradition clothing worn throughout the celebration and have been looking at some pictures or Mehndi hands. We are looking forward to designing our own Mehndi patterns next week.
Throughout this topic Reception are really enjoying discussing which celebrations are important to them and sharing how they celebrate them with their class.
