Earlier this term, a special visitor came to spend the day at North Lakes to give every class a taste of the Hindu religion – and what a day it was! From dressing up, to meditation, everybody (staff included) fully immersed themselves in all of the hands-on activities to learn a little more about Hinduism and how it may differ from other religions.

Over the course of the day, the hall was transformed into a Hindu temple (a mandir), filled with colour, incense and stories from this ancient religion. The children heard the fascinating tales of each of the gods, had a go at creating a shrine and learnt the significance of each of the deities that could be placed in a shrine and their significance to practising Hindus.

 Following this, Krishna, the teacher delivering the experience,  encouraged the children to try on clothing that many Hindus wear and to have a go at creating their own dance using sticks, named a Dandiya. It was certainly a lot of fun and created an exciting buzz across the school, with many children continuing their dancing onto the school yard at breaktime!

Each session ended with a period of stillness, where we all focused on our breathing and tried to create an inner sense of peace and calm. Many of the children commented on how relaxing this practice was, particularly in the middle of a busy school day. It isn’t often that we actively encourage the children or ourselves to do nothing!

The day was a truly enriching  experience for all involved and a great opportunity for the children to have a hands-on experience delivered from a practising Hindu.  They all behaved with utmost respect and dignity for our guest, greeting her in the only way we  know at NLS – open hearts and minds and a bombardment of carefully-considered questions that really made her think!