Diwali is the begining of the Festivals of Light (I LOVE light) and it also happens to coincide with learning about Cultures and Traditions within the Community in my long-range teaching plan.
Basically, I look for any excuse to decorate my classroom like a maniac.
When they arrived after lunch that day, I had dimmed the lights and strung up twinkle lights.
There was a fancy Diva on every activitiy table, and I did my best to mimic Indian tapestries with fabric and garland from my stash.
We were also learning about patterns in math, so the radial patterns in rangoli were a great connection!
A little Indian Grocery Store by my new place was selling little diva oil laps for 25 cents! I bought one for every student, and we decorated them and put a tealight in it.
Discussing the various Cultures and Traditions represented in our class.
We've got the globe good and covered!
