Learning more about other cultures and religions is always fun in Reception. This week, we have been discovering how and why Diwali is celebrated by Hindu and Sikh families. We discovered that Diwali is the festival of lights and we enjoyed acting out the story of Princess Sita and Warrior King Rama. The children all volunteered for a role in our performance and then we used the photos to create a story map. Can the children tell you what role they played and where they appear in the story?

We bashed and moulded clay to create our own diva lamps like those used to light the path home for Rama and Sita.

We have practised careful colouring of rangoli patterns and created patterns in chalk.

A Diwali dance increased our heart rates as we learnt some very funky moves.

Thank you to Jaskirat’s sister, Manpreet, who shared with us how their family celebrate Diwali. We really enjoyed hearing the story of Guru Hargobind, who adapted his cloak so that all 52 princes could escape. She was kind enough to bring all of the children a Diwali card.

We also thank Mrs Reheel, who came to talk to us about how her family celebrate the festival of lights. As a Sikh, she celebrates Bandi Chhor Divas. She showed us her beautiful new clothes and precious diva lamps. She also encouraged all families to visit the Sikh Temple Gurdwara on Chapeltown Road on Monday 20th October: everyone is welcome.

We are always keen to share in celebrating moments that are culturally important to you at home so please do send in photos that you are happy to share.