KS1 Enquiry Approach to Teaching Hinduism – Kathryn Symons

Key Stage 1
Kathryn Symons
The national curriculum states the legal
requirement that..
Inspire
High quality RE
Breadth of Study
Engage them: An unusual artefact? Ask questions
about it.
 A visitor. To relate Hinduism in the home
 Use their senses with Puja tray or make a shrine
 Write a play-script. Act
 Enrich with short video clips.
 Make something and advertise symbols.
 Have a festival? Bollywood dancing?

Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti is one of the most important festivals of the
Hindu calendar and celebrates the sun's journey into the northern
hemisphere, a period which is considered to be highly auspicious.
There is a wide variation in the celebration of Makar Sankranti
thoughout India, in particular the name.
Celebrations in different Indian regions
In Gujarat and Maharashtra, Makar Sankranti is a festival of the young
and the old. Colourful kites are flown all around.
In Punjab, Makar Sankranti is called Lohri. December and January are
the coldest months of the year in Punjab and huge bonfires are lit on
the eve of Sankranti. Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown on the
bonfires and friends and relatives gather together.
Cards are sent to friends and families!
In Uttar Pradesh, this period is celebrated as Kicheri.
It is considered important to have a bath on this day
and masses of people can be seen bathing in the
Sangam at Prayagraj where the rivers Ganga, Jamuna
and Saraswathi flow together.
 Removing
evil
spirits
 Messenger from
the Gods
 Kites to estimate
distance between
armies
 Fertility and birth
of a new born.
 Research Kites.
 Movement
sun to
northern
hemisphere:
auspicious
In Southern India it's the harvest festival
Pongal and lasts for 3 days.
On the first day, rice boiled with milk is
offered to the Rain God.
On the second day, it is offered to the the
Sun God and on the third day, the family
cattle are given a bath and dressed with
flowers, bells and colours, to honour
them for their hard work in the fields.
Krishna’s mouth showed the universe!
The story of Durga
Once upon a time there lived a demon named
Mahisha. He found great happiness in hurting
people. Once, he decided to pray to lord
Brahma, who he thought would give him a boon,
which would make him invincible. …


Rangoli, is a folk art from India in which patterns are
created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using
materials such as coloured rice, dry flour, coloured sand or
flower petals. It is usually made during Diwali and other
Indian festivals. They are meant to be sacred welcoming
areas for the Hindu deities. The ancient symbols have been
passed down through the ages, from each generation to
the next, keeping both the art form and the tradition
alive.
Rangoli designs can be simple geometric shapes, deity
impressions, or flower and petal shapes (appropriate for
the given celebrations), but they can also be very
elaborate designs crafted by numerous people. The base
material is usually dry or wet granulated rice or dry flour,
to which sindoor (vermilion), haldi (turmeric) and other
natural colors can be added. Chemical colors are a modern
variation. Other materials include colored sand and even
flowers and petals, as in the case of flower rangolis.
Kathryn.symons@southglos.gov.uk
http://sgsts.org.uk
www.bbc.co.uk/schools