This term we are learning about them Celts. We made a timeline from 800BC to 2017 show Celtic events during this time. Celtic culture is still in Scotland today.

 

The Celts celebrated Samhain with a bonfire. Samhain means ‘summer’s end’ and was the Celtic New Year. The Celts divided the year into two parts – darkness and light. They believed that everything started with darkness and made its way into light.

The Celts believed that if you burnt your bad habits and walked around the fire clockwise you would start fresh for the New Year. We all thought of a bad habit that we would like to change and threw them into the fire.

At our Samhain bonfire we told stories about our ancestors. The Celts believed that the veil between this world and the other world was thinnest on the night of Samhain and our ancestors came back to visit us. They carved turnips and placed candles inside them to help guide their deceased loved ones  home. Now we use pumpkins after many Scottish and Irish people had to emigrate to America during the clearances and the famine. When they couldn’t find turnips to carve for Halloween, they used pumpkins instead.

The Celts believed that apples were a sacred fruit and used apple dookin’ to tell their fortunes at Samhain. We followed instructions to make chocolate apples. They were yummy. Apple dookin’ was great fun too (although a wee bit wet).

 

Here we are at our Samhain bonfire.

 

The Celts liked to wear golden and bronze jewellery. They wore torcs around their necks. We designed our own torcs with plastercine this week. Next week we will be making them with clay using our first attempts to guide us.

The Celts were fierce warriors who used weapons and armour made from iron. Here we are designing  our Celtic shields.

 

We love our new topic and are so excited about all our new learning.