Learning about Diwali

     This morning our morning meeting was lead by Jenna. We then went to Tulie's class and listened to a story called Lighting a Lamp - A Diwali Story by Johnny Zucker. The Diwali Festival begins Friday, November 5th this year. What is Diwali? Diwali is a festival which is celebrated in India and Nepal. While it is particularly sacred to Hindus, practitioners of other Indian religions also celebrate Diwali, and Jainist, Hindu, and Sikh communities all over the world commemorate Diwali with smaller festivals of their own. The timing of this holiday varies, since it is based on the Hindu lunar calendar but it is generally celebrated in the fall. Diwali festivities in India involve everyone, not just the religious faithful, and the holiday is a major event in the Indian year. We will celebrate and learn about Diwali more on Friday when we have our own Diwali celebration. We are fortunate to have several families from India here at Community School and they are gracious enough to come in and teach our children about their culture. Our kids will be learning about dancing that goes on during the festival, paint their own diya (a clay pot for holding a candle),make a rangoli design out on the blacktop, and possibly get to taste some of the traditional foods from India. 

     

     Our story told us about diyas(pronounced dee-yah) and why they're important. We then came back to the classroom and made our own pots out of clay. Our diyas will air dry for the next couple days and we will paint them on Friday. Traditionally, diyas have oil and a wick in them and are used for temporary lighting, but we're going to put a flameless tealight candle inside.

     Later this morning we had our early learner music class with all of the other SeaDogs.

Just a heads up - I will not be here tomorrow. Tulie and I are going to Greensboro, NC dark and early for a teacher's conference. I'm excited to learn lots of new things to bring back to the classroom! AnnaBeebe is my substitute and all of the children are familiar with her. I've told the class that I won't be here tomorrow. See you all Friday!