Spring 2005

Visit to Hare Krishna Temple in Watford proved to be an educational but fun day out where the children learnt about the many hindu gods through interactive role-play.  A traditional vegetarian meal was offered at the temple to all on steel thalis.  Highlight of the trip was a ride on the bullock and cart to see the dairy cows in their barns.

Summer 2005

Kite Flying at Cassiobury Park was an event not to be forgotten.  In the age-old traditional way ‘Uttarayan’ is celebrated in Gujarat, so too was it performed in Watford at the local park.  Teachers, parents and children of the Gujarati school and their friends joined in to have one of the most fun times at Cassiobury park flying their kites, followed by a delicious picnic

Autumn 2005

Rangoli competition - children of all ages took part in a Rangoli competition to celebrate Diwali.  Coloured pasta and rice were used to form traditional rangoli patterns. Judging was done by teachers and some of the Watford Hindu Group committee members.

Summer 2006

School trip to Cadbury World in Bourneville, Birmingham proved to be an instant hit with children and adults alike. Not only did the children learn about how chocolate is made, they also had ample opportunity to taste the many different varieties of chocolates.  The rest of the day was spent at Birmingham’s renown Cannon Hill Park with more food in the form of a picnic and an energetic game of rounders to burn off all those calories.

Autumn 2006

Diwali was celebrated with an interactive Ramayana play performed by Indraprabhu of the Hare Krishna Mandir in Watford and the participation of Gujarati school  students.  Parents helped in providing some home-made snacks and dishes for the diwali party afterwards

Christmas 2006

The students thoroughly enjoyed Christmas celebration at the school with a special show of ‘The Art of Paper Folding’ performed by an invited guest from India. Children marveled at the formation of beautiful flowers and patterns from a single sheet of paper.  Parents reminded not to throw away old wrapping paper.

Winter 2007

In January 2007 some parents and students attended a ‘Children’s’ Leadership Day’ in Loudwater, Herts run by the Four Candles Coaching company. The day proved to be enlightening and issues such as confidence building, yoga and meditation, healthy living and debates on world leaders were discussed.

Summer 2007

School trip to Wickstead Park, Northamptonshire, in July 2007 was a memorable event for both children and adults alike.  Wickstead Park was one of Britain’s first family theme park and still continues to be popular with traditional rides and attractions.  Wristbands made the outing more enjoyable as many children (and adults) were able to participate repeatedly on rides such as the stomach-churning pirate boat. Again no trip is complete without the traditional Indian fare which started off with breakfast of jalebi and ganthia followed later by a picnic and there was plenty on the menu this time with samosas, bhel, dhokras and even some tasty khitchi.

Autumn 2007

The Gujarati school held a very successful Diwali mela in Oct 2007.  The school premises was transformed into stalls where children could participate in making Diwali cards, rangoli patterns and decorating divas.  For those students and children looking for more challenging activities there was Carrom board competition, penalty shoot out and golf challenge.  Plenty of fun was had by all and the event even managed to raise some funds to support future activities at the Gujarati school!