Before the Christmas break, we held an event for parents to attend a show, some sensory activities and Christmas dinner. We had many parents attend and there was so many positive feedback given to us from parents, asking if this is something we can do more of across the year.
Many parents loved coming in and working with their children in class, stating that it is wonderful to see the children engaging with different activities, alongside their class peers and teachers. So, we decided to set up another event this week for Holi Festival. This is a popular Hindu festival and celebrated as the Festival of new life, love and Spring. It is also known as the Festival of colours, as those who celebrate sing, dance and throw powdered paint and coloured water, as people around the world wear white and famously hurl coloured powder at each other.
Hindus may also light bonfires to represent the triumph of good over evil, which links to the story of Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.
Here in the ARP, we invited parents to come in and take part in colour themed activities, such as; decorating white t-shirts with paint and hand/ finger marking; having dust to rub their hands in and spread across their shirts, and making coloured paper plates with an array of thin paper. All classes were very messy, but the children loved getting stuck in, and parents who attended had great smiles on their faces seeing their children engage in the paint and dust.
Classes also put Hindu music on the screen to play to the children in the background, dancing and throwing coloured balloons around too. It was very colourful, as well fun and new for the children to engage in.
Take a look at the pictures below to see what we put on for the event.
