The theme of this year’s EL Happening was “ Voyage to India.” All students Pre-K through fourth grade took time out of their regular schedule to delve deep into the study of this country's fascinating cultures. Members of our community (parents, grandparents, and friends), have shared their knowledge of the various regions of India and have given students experiences with the country's traditional languages, food, music and dance. Students also had the opportunity to explore activities that are popular in India like yoga and cricket.
Two examples of the week's fun learning activities are found in second and fourth grade. Second-graders are attending a pretend wedding ceremony, and fourth-graders are building a hand-drawn rickshaw and delivering lunches to the other classrooms similar to the dabbawalas in Mumbai. Every day, a rangoli (image created on the ground to bring blessings to a place) is taking shape in the EL atrium, with each class making their contributions to the design.
This year's Happening conveniently coincided with the actual Indian festival of lights Diwali, for which students made traditional lamps called diyas. On Friday, they will wrap up their week with a big surprise, an off-season version of the spring festival of Holi.