Year 4 - Class Worship: How Do We Know Who We Are?
We had an extremely thought-provoking class worship today. We found out about Amur, a Muslim boy in Denmark, using Lyfta. He shared a small snapshot of his daily life and explored the question “Who am I?” The discussion which followed was the perfect opportunity for us to practise our talk tactics and listening skills as we shared our opinions on who Amir is as a person, whether or not we thought he was a good person, and how we could tell. There was a lot of agreement among the children with some building on others’ ideas, and a couple of respectful disagreements.
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Year 3- R.E- Exploring God's Story through Art
This afternoon in R.E, the children looked closely at the People of God panels in the big frieze by Emma Yarlett. They searched for words hidden among the pictures, such as "idols," "temptation," and "repent." The children discussed why these words were included in the artwork and how they relate to the stories of God's people in the Bible.
Year 1- Interfaith Week and Hinduism Workshop
To celebrate Interfaith Week, Year 1 had a special Hindu Workshop. They started off by taking part in a traditional Hindu dance before learning about Hindu worship known as Puja which involves all five of the senses. Our visitor, Prags showed us some of the important artefacts used as part of Puja such as the bell (used to make sure that the God knows the worshippers are there), a candle, incense stick, the Swastika symbol and the red paste which is used to make a mark on a a Hindu’s head as a sign of respect to their God. Prags also told us about some other Hindu practises such as offering food or flowers to their God known as arti, washing thoroughly before worship and taking their shoes off as they enter the temple. Since Year 1 have also been learning about how Hindus created the world in their creation unit, Prags gave them the opportunity to ask some of their own questions that they had. Harry asked, ‘Why does the God have lots of heads?’ Prags explained this was because the God needs to look all around the world and also because they have many different forms. She explained that we have many roles e.g. Phoebe is a daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend etc.. and the Gods do too and this is why they’re drawn and painted with many heads. Callie asked, ‘Why does the God have four arms?’ Prags explained that this was because they are powerful and need to be able to do lots of things/carry many things at the same time. Bella asked, ‘Why is the God shown as being blue?’ Prags explained that Shiva is blue to symbolise the world’s poisons that he drank in order to protect it and Vishnu is blue to represent his calming personality. However, Prags also said that by representing them as blue, we are celebrating colour and appreciating people’s differences.
Whole School Worship: Anti-Bullying and Respect
Our worship today introduced the theme of Choose Respect for Anti-bullying Week. We heard from primary school children from around the country talking about the effects of bullying, the importance of respect and how we can change the way we speak to others. Mrs Ham invited up some of our pupils to act out various scenarios so that we could identify the potential bullying problem and suggest ways to correct it that benefit everyone involved. The children had some fantastic suggestions, which we can all try to use on the playground to resolve conflict. We spent some time reflecting on the meaning of respect and on how others may feel when they are treated with disrespect.
Year 2 - Hinduism Workshop
Year 2 were very lucky to have an exciting visitor in school today. During our workshop, Prags shared her knowledge and experience of Hinduism. We discussed how Hindu’s prepare for worship and how their prayers are similar and different to Christians. We also joined in some classic Hindi dancing wearing very colourful skirts and jackets.
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!
Reception celebrate Interfaith Week
Reception class were lucky enough to meet Prags who delivered a wonderful workshop exploring Hinduism. We learned about the story of Rama and Sita and we even got to dress up in traditional Indian clothing and dance together. We also enjoyed eating delicious samosas cooked by Prags! It was a great way to learn about a different religion and culture. Thank you so much for visiting.
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.
Cidari Moon Conference
Some of our children and WOW group from Year 4 had an amazing day admiring and reflecting on the moon today at Blackburn Cathedral with Mrs Ham and Mrs Araujo. Most of the schools in our Cidari Multi-Academy trust took part and it was a great way to meet new friends. Each of the children took part in a different activity around a big question about the moon with children from other schools. Rev Ben led an opening worship where we learnt about how God created the moon by hand and crowned us all with honour and glory. Bishop Philip encouraged us all to lie underneath the moon art installation and gaze at it whilst pondering some thought provoking questions. Rev Alan closed the day with a fun moon quiz and we discussed how the moon reflects the sun's light and we can reflect God's light . We finished by singing and joining in with the actions to 'our God is a great big God'. Thank you so much to Mrs Gray from St Oswalds, Knuzden for organising the event and to Mrs Araujo and staff from the other schools for leading a number of amazing activities. What a wonderful day of celebrating one of God's most amazing creations!
Year 1- Remembrance
Year 1 have been busy reflecting on the importance of Remembrance Day whilst making poppies using various media, creating Remembrance moving pictures and writing Remembrance prayers. They have thought about the soldiers that have and continue to fight for our country to keep us safe. They have also kept in their thoughts many people who work bravely and tirelessly everyday to bring about positive change and keep us safe from harm such as the police, NHS, paramedics, Royal Navy and charity workers.