Diwali 2021

Diwali is a festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists and is a joyous occasion filled with lamps, candles and lights. This week we have been exploring The Festival of Lights at Eynsham, Bletchingdon and Farmoor.

The date of Diwali coinciding with the clocks falling back last weekend meant that the decorations and lights we have hung have looked especially beautiful in the darker afternoons. During Diwali there are often fireworks, a lovely way to combine our celebrations of Diwali and our celebrations for Bonfire Night.

  • At Eynsham the Butterflies decorated the garden under the canopied area with beautiful fairy lights.
  • At Bletchingdon, with Hepsi’s assistance, the children turned the wooden doll’s house into a wonderful Diwali celebration.
  • At Farmoor the children explored Rangoli patterns and had a go at making their own.

Some of the other areas the children have engaged with this week have been:

  • Making Diya lamps out of clay
  • Exploring a Diwali sensory tray
  • Ready Diwali stories
  • Turning tea time into a Diwali restaurant where the teachers were the waiters and the children ordered from the menu, making sure to pay the bill when they had finished.
  • Making Diya lamps out of salt dough
  • Having the opportunity to access some Diwali themed group times
  • Using powder paint to explore colour mixing
  • Making some celebratory Diwali sweets – Coconut Ladoo and Barfi