Theme Days
At Dacre Braithwaite we run Theme Days from time to time (at least one per term). The children will explore a range of activities linked to the Theme and it makes their learning more fun. The children work in their House Teams (so a mixture of ages) and enjoy the opportunity to support and help each other out.
They really enjoy these days and look forward to them.
Eco Theme Day (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
This year, for our Eco Them Day we were thinking about reducing, reusing and recycling. So, we used old t-shirts to weave a hanging; we used bits of fabric to make rag rug style panels; we used Lily's water wheel to generate electricity and learn about Green energy; we made seed bombs; we made a collage by recycling plastic and fabric; we used scrap paper to make promises which we wrote on our 'hands and no theme day would be complete without some baking - so we learnt how important bees are, and made bee and flower biscuits. What a busy brilliant day!
Advent Theme Day
We had a fantastic day on Thursday with our Advent Theme Day! This year we decided that we would look at Advent traditions around the world. It was fascinating! The children have made:-
Parols – a star from the Philippines which is typically star-shaped and symbolizes “the triumph of light over darkness, joy and hope. (click here for more info)
Farolitos – a tradition from Mexico – a paper bag with a light in to show visitors the way to the stable. (click here to find out more)
Origami Christmas Trees – see here for how we did them. The children also listened to Japanese carols.
Speculaas – are a spiced shortcrust biscuit from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, flavoured with a mix of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom. Traditionally made for the feast of Saint Nicholas, they are now enjoyed year-round and are often flat, crisp, and moulded into various traditional shapes – we made stars! (click here for the recipe) and
Spider webs - The Ukrainian Christmas story of the spider web ornament is about a poor widow and her children who couldn't afford decorations for their Christmas tree. On Christmas Eve, spiders spun intricate webs all over the tree while the family slept. When the morning sun hit the webs, they turned into shimmering gold and silver, bringing good luck and fortune to the family. This legend is why finding a spider web is a sign of good luck, and why ornaments in the shape of spiders and webs are traditionally hung on Ukrainian Christmas trees. We will be hanging ours on the Christmas tree in the hall. (Click here for the whole story)
Easter Theme Day
On our Easter Theme Day we talked about the Easter story and what happened. Then we Easter biscuits with chocolate chip crosses, we made Easter cards, cracking Easter eggs, Palm Crosses and Palm prayers as well as Easter carousels. We had a really exciting time and at the end of the day we shared our results in a whole school Easter service.
Prayer Theme Day
At our recent prayer theme day we had a visit from Elizabeth and Keziah from the Hand to Mouth Charity. They worked with each class throughout the day. Class 3 did a 'journey'. It was the opportunity to visit different activities all designed to offer the opportunity to be thoughtful and reflect and, if the children wanted to, to write a prayer. The activities were really meaningful for the children. In Class 2 the children looked at the story of the Good Samaritan through Godly play and Class 1 sent bubble prayers upwards when they went outside.
