Happy Diwali!

Diwali is a very important and exciting festival in the Hindu and Sikh faiths. It is also called the Festival of Lights. It takes place during the last month of the Hindu year and celebrates the beginning of the New Year in the Hindu calendar.

Brightly coloured Rangoli patterns are created during Diwali celebrations. The decorations are made on floors outside homes and temples to welcome guests in and to bring good luck. All Rangoli patterns are symmetrical.

 Mehndi is made from herbs and is used to draw patterns on the skin. We created our own mehndi patterns to make hand prints on our Diwali cards!

It is traditional to share sweets with family and friends at Diwali. We had lots of fun making our own chocolate coconut sweets to share - and they tasted delicious!

 The word 'Diwali' means 'row of lighted lamps' and we lit our own divas while we sat and shared our Diwali sweets together.

We looked very smart when we dressed up in traditional Indian clothes! The Diwali celebrations finish with some of the brightest lights of all - fireworks!

We hope you all had a 'Happy Diwali'!

Muddy Hedgehogs!

Today we learnt that during the cold winter months some animals hibernate. We made muddy hedgehogs using materials from the woodland area. We mixed mud for the body before searching  for seed heads, leaf stalks and small twigs to create hedgehog spines. We found small stones and seeds to use as the eyes or tip of the nose.

"I'll find a good place for my hedgehog  to hibernate?"

"I think I'll curl up into a ball and go to sleep!"

A little reminder for the week . . .

• On Wednesday there will be a special Bike It Be Bright Day - the children are all invited to dress as brightly as possible and decorate their bike or scooter to help be seen and keep safe!

• Paws . . . for a good cause! It is Children in Need on Friday and we are asking the children to bring in a donation and wear a Pudsey pawprint. Bear ears and teddies are also welcome, so please lets all help to raise as much money as possible for this good cause.

• Some of the children have brought home a few words to learn for our Nativity, taking place later this term. Please provide lots of encouragement and support for your child in learning their words to help boost their confidence for the final production! Thank you.

Star of the Week!

Our Stars of the Week for last week were Georgia and Eva. Congratulations and well done to both of you!

Fantastic Fireworks!

This week we have been reflecting back on Bonfire Night - it was great fun splatter painting to create the firework background for our bonfire display! Can you see all the bright colours that we used?

We talked about our own experiences from the celebrations, this is what some of the children said: 

Amelia - "On Bonfire Night I saw a big bonfire and fireworks. It was hot and they were loud and bright. There were lots of people and they were shouting."

George - "We saw a big bonfire and fireworks. It was loud. Different colours, pretty ones. They went pitter patter."

Sophia - "I saw a bonfire and sparklers. It was loud and made me jump. They were round and they were beautiful. They went high up in the sky and yellow ones down low."

We made group firework books using the computer . . .

How would you have described the fireworks that you saw and heard? 

We would love to hear about your Bonfire Night celebrations.

A little reminder for the week . . .

• Welcome back after the half-term holiday! Please ensure that your child has appropriate outdoor clothing with them every day, and that it is all clearly named to avoid any upset and confusion!

• There have been some changes to groupings for Wellie Wednesday sessions, please ensure that you check which group your child is in, and which weeks they will be participating in these sessions. Thank you.

• There is a special lunch time menu on Friday of this week to celebrate 'British Sausage Week' - details are available on the board in the courtyard.

Star of the Week . . .

Our Stars of the Week before we broke up for the half-term holiday were Miley, Jake, and Sophia. Well done and congratulations to you all!