Pupils at The Beeches Independent School celebrated a variety of events over the last few months including Chinese New Year where they made their own calendars, decorated lanterns, practiced their own Chinese writing, and decorated Chinese dragons. They also researched the years they were born to find out what their animal year was, and the meaning behind it.
On Valentine’s Day they decorated their own love biscuits, then wrote shout-outs to all their friends and teachers to say thank you for all the kind things they do.
On Holi, the pupils learned all about the festival of colours and what it represents. They then put on white t-shirts and had their own celebration by throwing powdered paints at each other. Everyone had a blast, and now have some fabulous unique shirts to keep!
Buddhism has also been an interesting topic in Religious Education, with pupils learning about Ohigan which is celebrated in Spring and Autumn. They had a go at making botamochi using two different types of rice, aduki beans, soybean flour, and black sesame seeds. These rice balls are traditionally served during Spring celebrations, and are often given as gifts to family and friends.
In Food Technology, the pupils have been exploring new and wonderful recipes from Argentina, Jamaica, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey. They have acquired an abundance of information about different cultures and traditions, and used a variety of spices, herbs, and cooking utensils to create delicious dishes from these vibrant and exciting countries. Their newfound skills and techniques have certainly helped inspire their future culinary journey.
In Science, fun with food continued as they took part in a cabbage indicator experiment which involved soaked red cabbage in hot water until it turned purple. They then added substances with different pH levels to see which colour each one changed into.
Then in Geography, they used tomatoes with water, food colouring, and glitter to make the vortex that forms inside tornadoes. They also learned about volcanoes and tsunamis using experiments to create them. They then looked at the layers of the Earth and used Play-Doh to create the different layers in various colours.
In History they have been studying Ancient Rome, and visited Peterborough Museum to learn about how people lived many years ago, and ask lots of questions before returning back to school to make their own swords. They had to decide how their swords must look using their mathematical skills to measure them, and their art skills to draw the outlines and decorate the handles. They thoroughly enjoyed the activity, and their impressive pictures are now being displayed on the special Ancient Rome display board at school.
