Bonfire Night

We started our topic of 'Festivals and Celebrations' by introducing Bonfire Night to the children. We spoke about all the exciting things linked to Bonfire Night and they shared their own experiences of Bonfire Night with their friends. We looked through some non-fiction stories and read through the e-book 'Sparks in the Sky'. After this, we learnt about the history of Bonfire Night and how Guy Fawkes was found under the Houses of Parliament by King James' soldiers. 

For our BIG BANG each child had a sparkler! We spoke about the importance of fire safety and the rules of holding a sparkler. All children brought their gloves into school and we made sure we had enough space around us and a bucket of water close by. 

After this, we watched a firework display on the interactive board, whilst drinking hot chocolate and eating a gingerbread man. 

Remembrance Day

In Honeypot Class, we thought about the importance of Remembrance Day and why it is so important to us. We discussed what respect is and why we have a two-minute silence. The children watched this animation (link below) and we spoke about how significant a poppy is and why we wear them. 

We went on to make our own poppies in the classroom that the children could wear as a symbol of respect.

Diwali

To continue our topic of 'Festivals and Celebrations', Honeypot Class celebrated Diwali. The children enjoyed dressing up in some traditional clothing whilst dancing to some Diwali inspired music. We learnt about how Hindu's celebrate Diwali and about some of their traditions, including why they put Rangoli patterns outside their doors. Here are some pictures of the children dressed up and creating their own Rangoli patterns using the beads. 

In Literacy, Honeypot children have learnt all about the story of Rama and Sita - an important story linked to Diwali, the celebration of light.

During choosing times, some of the children acted out the story using props from the classroom and puppet masks. The children know this story so well that they are able to retell it using a simple form of Pie Corbett's 'Talk for Writing'.