The Story of Rama and Sita

As part of our RE studies this half term, Year 3 are learning all about Hinduism.

Today, we learnt a little about the Hindu celebration of Diwali. 

First of all, we had a class discussion about celebrations, and thought about all the ways in which we celebrate important events in the year.  Most of the children in the class celebrate birthdays and Christmas, and shared their experiences of decorating their homes, getting together with friends and family, and enjoying special foods and gifts.

We then watched a BBC clip about a Hindu family celebrating Diwali (you can watch it here).  The children spotted similarities between the Diwali celebrations and Christian celebrations.  The children knew that the Nativity story is central to Christmas, and we therefore read the  story of Rama and Sita, which is central to Diwali. 

Finally, the children watched a traditional puppet show of the Rama and Sita story, before acting out the story for themselves in small groups using paper cut outs.