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Year 3, Week 1

Posted: Nov 14, 2021 by: Tara (Tara) on: Forest Blog

On this beautiful autumn day, with the golden sunshine warming our faces, the children shared their Halloween stories and I shared how the tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.

Meaning ‘summer’s end’ it is a celebration of the end of the harvest and the start of the coldest part of the year.

It is also a time of reflection and for some, a time to think of those who have passed away.

To honour this we created a Circle of Life using various foliage and woodland treasures.

We also spoke about the symbolism of different plants, such the oak which represents wisdom and strength.

The children also considered their own meanings.

They listened intently to one another as they shared their stories.

Some chose to then recreate this circle with as a group and make a bowl or heart afterwards.

These will be varnished and painted next week.

Aiden: Sticks represent our long journey through life. The white feather because birds fly in the air and it’s like sprits flying.

Eden: I put the holly around as the red berries remind me of the birth of Jesus.

Archie: The white hydrangea could be dead souls. When a person’s family dies, if you close your eyes, it feels like their spirit and soul fuses together to make it easier to feel them going through you. The soul is your heart and the spirit is all around I think”.

Jessie: My brother died when he was a baby. Every year we go to a wave of light. We sit and remember our Joshua. We have a special box with things like teddies that we keep in Mummy’s room.

A child commented that this is really sad. Jessie agreed that it is very sad. She smiled as explained that a wave of candle light is passed around the world and this is very special as parents in many countries are thinking about and remembering their baby.

Koko: My sister died at four days old. Every day we get memories of her spirit.

Victoria: My grandmother had white on when she died of cancer. This hydrangea makes me think of her.

Frankie: The white hydrangea reminds me of my grandfather who died in the war. He had white on

Romi: My great grandpa, I never met him, but my dad said he was a lovely man.