Year 3- A Look at Islam in Interfaith Week
This Interfaith Week, I was delighted to lead a wonderful worship session for the whole school, giving everyone an immersive look into my religion, Islam. I covered the foundations of my faith, explaining the significance of the Five Pillars of Islam, and shared a piece of my culture by having the children listen to Arabic Nasheeds and reading a verse of the Qur'an out loud in Arabic. To provide a personal and visual connection to my practice, I showed them my prayer mat, and we then looked at pictures from my visits to Makkah, Madinah, and Palestine, highlighting these three holy sites significant to Muslims. Following this, all the year groups had prepared thoughtful questions that I answered, tackling everything from why I wear the Hijab and how I perform my daily prayers (Salat), to which God I follow (Allah). The children listened exceptionally well throughout the entire session. To finish the children tasted foods that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended for our health, including wholemeal bread with honey, fresh figs, melon, olives, and fresh dates, making the session a truly comprehensive and deeply personal exploration of what it means to be a Muslim. This event was an example of how we can learn from one another's faiths and traditions in a spirit of respect and curiosity. It has undoubtedly enriched our collective understanding, fostering a school environment that values diversity and empathy, which is the true heart of Interfaith Week.
Year 4 - Interfaith Celebration
This year, to celebrate Interfaith Week, Miss Kachwalla led a series of workshops explaining what being Muslim means to her. The children develop a better understanding of different faiths when they learn directly from believers, especially how their faith impacts their daily lives. Miss Kachwalla gave a fantastic presentation to the children, in which she explained how she lives out the 5 pillars. She introduced her experience of Hajj and introduced us to some of the foods that the Prophet ate. We also had the opportunity to ask some of our own curiosity questions. We then returned to our classroom to taste some of the foods mentioned, including dates, olives, figs, melon and wholemeal bread with honey. Also this week, Years 3 and 4 watched a special recorded worship delivered by Imran from Muslim Learner Services. The children learned about how easy or difficult it is for many Muslims to follow the 5 pillars in Britain today. They also played some thumbs up/down quizzes and watched a tour of a mosque in Bolton.
Year 1 Inter Faith Week
Year 1 have really enjoyed learning about Islam this week and what life is like as a Muslim. In our worship with Miss Kachwalla we learnt about the 5 pillars of Islam, she showed us her prayer mat and spoke about pilgrimages. Year 1 asked ‘how do Muslims celebrate Eid?’ which really excited them. They also asked ‘Why do you dress differently to us?’ which Miss Kachwala explained was about modesty. We also tried some traditional Muslim foods. The children really enjoyed honey on toast and melon, but they were not keen on dates, figs and olives.
Year 5 - Class worship: Interfaith Week
In class worship, we continued exploring the Islamic faith. We learned about famous British Muslims such as Mo Farah and Amir Khan before considering some true or false statements about Islam. The children did very well, getting 9 out of 10 correct. These included whether or not Muslims could drink alcohol and if they worshipped Allah or Mohammed. We discussed the 5 pillars of Islam before learning more about a mosque in Bolton.
Year 5 - Inter Faith Week
Miss Kachwalla kindly told Year 5 all about her faith - Islam. She told us about how the 5 pillars of Islam are rules to guide Muslims. She showed us pictures of her trips to Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem and told us about her pilgrimage to Mecca. Miss Kachwalla also showed us her prayer mat and discussed how prayers allow her to feel closer to God. To celebrate Inter Faith Week, we tried foods recommended by the Prophet for being healthy and natural: dates, bread, figs, honey, olives and melon.
Year 6 - Interfaith Week
This week we celebrated Interfaith Week with Miss. Kachwalla, who shared what being a Muslim means to her and how her faith guides her daily life. During her workshop, she introduced the children to the key beliefs and practices of Islam, including the importance of kindness, community and prayer. The children asked thoughtful questions and showed great curiosity. To end the session, the children enjoyed tasting a selection of traditional foods from her culture, giving them a wonderful chance to experience and appreciate something new.
Year 4 - RE: Interfaith Week & Hinduism
The Year 4 class thoroughly enjoyed their Hinduism workshop on Monday. Our visitor, Prags, from Cultural Educasian, brought in a variety of artefacts in order to explain and demonstrate some Hindu beliefs and practices. The theme for the Year 4 workshop was Reincarnation. Prags gave a great, child-friendly explanation to the children about the Hindu belief that everyone has a piece of Brahman inside them, like a part of a jigsaw, and that their aim is to live a good life in order to complete the jigsaw, Brahman, and make him whole. We learned that being reincarnated signifies that the previous life was lived imperfectly and Hindus are given a chance to correct this in the next life. There was also some time for trying on some traditional Indian clothing and performing a traditional dance.
Year 5 - Hinduism Workshop
Year 5 had an enriching Hinduism workshop, diving into the teachings of sacred texts, discovering the significance of various Hindu gods, and exploring vibrant traditions and cultural practices. The children were captivated by the storytelling and symbolism, and they eagerly participated in traditional dancing, experiencing the joy and rhythm of Hindu culture firsthand. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to broaden their understanding and appreciation of diverse beliefs and traditions!
Year 6 - Hinduism Workshop
Year 6 welcomed Prags into our school today, who led them in a Hinduism workshop. She was very impressed by the children’s knowledge of pilgrimages and she then spoke in more detail about a Hinduism pilgrimage. She explained how the River Ganges is sacred to Hindus and that they believe the water washes sins away. When Prags first went on this pilgrimage, she expressed how it is an emotional event and one that she will never forget. Year 6 listened attentively and showed fantastic levels of respect.
Year 3- Interfaith Week- Prag's trip to India- Hinduism
Year 3 celebrated Interfaith Week by learning about Hinduism. Prags, who was born in East Africa, shared her experiences of visiting India. She showed pictures of both traditional and modern parts of the country, highlighting its diversity. Prags also discussed the importance of recycling and her love for visiting sacred sites like the River Ganges and the Golden Temple. The girls then wore colourful, sequined skirts while the boys wore jackets and they all learned a dance routine together. The children asked insightful questions about the language and clothing and enjoyed trying the vegetable samosas that Prags brought in. It was great to learn about the traditions and religious beliefs of Hinduism.
Year 6 R.E.- Pilgrimage
In R.E. Year 6 started to look at the pilgrimages of other religions. They focused on Hajj (an Islamic pilgrimage) and Kumbh Mela (a Hinduism pilgrimage). Once they had made some notes on these pilgrimages and how they are undertaken, the children then discussed how they are similar and different to the Christian and Jewish pilgrimages covered in earlier lessons.
WOW Group Worship: Respect and Tolerance
Well done to our fantastic WOW Group, who led their first whole-school worship this year today. In recognition of Inter Faith week, they talked about respecting each other’s differences and they taught us about tolerance and how we can show it to one another.
Year 6 R.E.- Judaism Workshop
This week in R.E. year 6 were visited by Samantha Hambling who led a Judaism workshop all about pilgrimage. Year 6 asked some impressive and mature questions and realised how religions are very similar, but also have some notable differences.
Year 3- Interfaith week- Rules of living session by a Jewish visitor
As part of Interfaith week, we had a special visitor in our classroom who shared insights into Jewish traditions and the rules of living. The children learnt about the different rules that Jewish people follow. We learnt about the prayers, the Torah and the clothing that men and women wear. The children also got to taste Challah, a delicious and traditional Jewish bread commonly served on the Sabbath.
Year 5 - Interfaith Week
Today, as part of interfaith week, Year 5 had a Jewish visitor who explained her religious beliefs and lifestyle. She focused on the story of Purim which is the Jewish holiday in which Jews commemorate being saved from persecution in the ancient Persian Empire. The children explored the story and began to contextualise the true meaning of the story and what it means to the Jewish community. The children explored the huge celebrations that take place and the various ways that Jewish people celebrate Purim. The children loved listening to the story and learning how other religions feed into their own religion.
Year 1 Interfaith Week- Learning about Shabbat
As part of interfaith week, Year 1 enjoyed a visit from a lovely Jewish lady called Samantha. Samantha told us all about Shabbat which she explained as the Jewish day of rest when Jewish people remember the story of creation where God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Samantha told us that Shabbat happens each week on a Friday evening through to a Saturday evening. We learnt that it involves a Friday evening meal where the table is laid ready for a three course meal, a candle is lit and a prayer is said over wine or grape juice which is called Kiddush. We also learnt that Jewish people enjoy a bread called Challah during the Shabbat meal which is covered by a special cloth. Samantha even brought some Challah in for us all to try-we really enjoyed it! We also learnt that Shabbat involves a trip to the synagogue to pray. Samantha told us that the Torah is read out when the Jews visit the synagogue and it has its own special ark where it is stored when it is not in use. We also learnt that Jewish men often wear a kippah and a tallit to the synagogue and a Jewish married woman will wear a hat. Samantha also told us that because Shabbat is the day of rest, Jewish people are not allowed to work with the exception of some professions such as doctors. We learnt that hoovering, washing up, doing the laundry and building are all things that Jews should not do on Shabbat. As well as this, we learnt that Jews are not allowed to use electronics such as phones, computers, iPads, PlayStations etc.. on Shabbat and should spend quality time talking and playing games with family members.
Year 5 - Inter Faith Week
Year 5 have enjoyed looking at artefacts displayed in our school hall about different religions. They were really fascinated to learn that Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism use Rosary beads.
Year 5 - Inter Faith Week- Islam
Year 5 have enjoyed learning about my religion (Islam). We looked at the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam in detail. For example; both holy books (Quran/Bible) mention Jesus, Moses, David, Gabriel and Mary. We learnt about when the Quran (holy book for Muslims) was revealed and who it was sent down to. The children really enjoyed tasting some of the food that the prophet used to eat, such as, olives, pomegranate, bread and yogurt.
Year 4 Celebrating Interfaith Week
Year 4 were all fascinated in our Interfaith Week workshop. We loved learning about Islam and tasting some traditional foods linked to the faith. We'd like to say a huge thank you to Barnys' very own Misss Kachwalla for sharing her faith with us.
Year 3 Inter Faith Week
This afternoon, Miss Kachwalla spoke to the class about the religion of Islam. Earlier in the week, Year 3 came up with some questions that they wanted to ask Miss Kachwalla, about her religion. The class really enjoyed learning about Islam and exploring some of the similarities between Christianity and Islam.
Year 3: Trying food that Prophet Muhammad liked
As part of Inter Faith week, Year 3 tasted a selection of Sunnah Food. During a workshop with Miss Kachwalla, the class learnt about some of the food that Prophet Muhammad liked. We tried olives, dates, pomegranate, melon, cucumber, cheese, pitta bread and yoghurt! The class particularly enjoyed dipping the pitta bread in the olive oil and yoghurt!