Faiths and their festivals

(Teacher Resource)

(back of book) -- A guide to religions and celebrations in our multicultural society.

A key aim of education is to recognise, value and promote a positive attitude to differences, foster tolerance and develop cultural competence.

This book is designed to help by giving background information to the faiths and celebrations in our multicultural society. It looks at the beliefs and core practices of the main faiths and describes the festivals associated with them. It explains the origins of the festivals and how they are celebrated within the faith communities, and includes suggestions on how to explore them in a way that is meaningful to young children..


Faith and Festivals contains:
. stories
. songs
. recipes
. ideas for activities
. advice on useful resources


Christine Howard is a former LEA adviser in RE, founder and director of Articles of Faith Ltd and an independent consultant/trainer in religious and multicultural education. Kay Margetts is Associated Professor in Early Childhood Studies and Director of International Baccalaureate programs at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

You will find this book in the Teacher Resource Library - Social Studies - Box 3.

The Girl Who Lost Her Smile

Jehan is a Persian girl whose smile inspires the sun to shine and the stars to sparkle at night. But one day she wakes up and her smile is gone. The people of the city dispatch jugglers and fire-eaters to help recover her smile, but to no avail. It is only through the efforts of a small, wise bird who brings a stranger to town that Jehan learns to recognize the beauty that has been in front of her eyes all along.

                                                          Author's Note:
                                                          The Girl Who Lost Her Smile was inspired by a story in the collection of short stories and poetry called Mathnawi by Jallal al-Din Rumi.
Jallal - al-din Rumi was a mystical teacher, poet and storyteller who lived in the Turkish city of Konya. he was the founder of the order of the Whirling Dervish, who use music and dance to achieve a mystical state of worship. The order continues to this day.