Year 1 explored the story of the Christingle and created their own as part of our Advent preparations. We began by learning about Bishop John de Watteville, who shared the first Christingle with children in his village to teach them about God’s promises.

Through the story, we discovered that:

• The orange represents the world, created by God and full of goodness.
• The red ribbon wrapped around the orange symbolises God’s love encircling the world.
• The four sticks symbolise the four seasons, and the treats on them remind us of the gifts God provides.
• The candle signifies Jesus, the Light of the World, shining in dark places.

The children thoroughly enjoyed making their own Christingles, carefully assembling each part and reflecting on its meaning. We concluded our lesson with a special Christingle Celebration of the Word, where we shared the story of the Christingle and talked about how we can share God’s love with others.

The flickering light of the candles reminded us all of the importance of kindness and hope, especially during this season of Advent.

After reading scripture from the prophet Isaiah, Year 3 have been working in drama groups to demonstrate how we should behave during Advent, as we prepare for Christmas. We explored and depicted giving alms to the homeless, looking after the elderly, praying regularly to talk to God, showing love in our friendship groups and showing understanding with our friends. All of the children collaborated and showed excellent oracy skills with their friends.