Prince Rama of Ayodhya is his father’s favourite son and due to take the throne when King Dasharatha retires. But in an act of trickery by his stepmother, Rama is banished to forests far-away and must not return for 14 years. His beautiful wife Sita and brave brother Bharata choose to go with him, and so begin their adventures as they travel through the forests, battling with the demons who live there and trying to make themselves a safe home. Rama and Sita – the story of Diwali is re-telling of a tale told in the ancient Sanskrit poem ‘The Ramayana’ and an excellent educational resource to support the study of the Festival of Diwali. Understanding of the text is supported by literacy activities suitable for KS1 pupils but which could easily be adapted for Years 3 to 6. The pack includes: • The illustrated story of ‘Rama and Sita – the Story of Diwali’ in pdf form, both with text and without, for printing or viewing on an IWB • Suggestions and some resources for literacy activities • Colouring sheets • A word search • A reading game • A topic plan of Diwali ideas covering most aspects of the primary curriculum ‘I can’t think of a more child-friendly account and the illustrations are clear, witty, imaginative and fun. I thoroughly recommend this book!’ Jamila Gavin (Coram Boy, Grandpa Chatterji, Kamla and Kate) ‘An excellent bright, beautiful book that shows and tells the story of Rama and Sita very well.’ Pippa Goodhart ((You Choose, Just Imagine, Winnie the Witch) ‘A wonderful reworking of the Hindu Diwali story, with the input of real school pupils. Informative, easy to read and delightful to look at - we need more books like this so that all of our children can see their cultures reflected!’ Bali Rai ‘I used the book with my class whilst studying Diwali. The children were hooked and loved every page.’ Jo T, primary teacher. Paperback copies of the story can be bought on Amazon.

Creation Stories – 7-week medium term RE plan for KS2 plus all necessary teaching resources Includes: lesson plans, story powerpoints (plus links to online videos), ‘talk for learning’ paired and group activities, worksheets for individual recording, pupil prompts and activity cards, also suggestions (and some resources) for supplementary activities. Resources created to promote inclusion and highlight commonalities across religions and cultures. Areas covered are: What is a creation story? The Christian story of creation story The Islamic story of creation including similarities and differences with the Christian creation story The Hindu story of creation The Big Bang theory - the Humanist theory of creation Dreamtime - Aboriginal stories of creation, and a week 7 end-of-unit round-up/assessment, which includes an optional ‘be a storyteller’ activity

Remembrance Day: why do we have it? Is it still relevant today? How do we remember animals who died in conflict? The powerpoint shares a variety of viewpoints and encourages pupils to discuss and decide for themselves whether they feel the act of remembrance has relevance in modern times. It includes links to films of remembrance services in 1919, 1937 and 2018, as well as BBC Newsround clips. Additional remembrance powerpoints and activities support the topic, including ‘Animals at War’ which covers use of the purple poppy to commemorate animal deaths during conflict. Suitable for KS2 and above, but could be downloaded and simplified for younger pupils.