World Geography: India
Diwali, Festival of lights
Diwali is celebrated in September–November. This year Diwali will start on Tuesday, the 13th of November and will continue for 5 days until Saturday, the 17th of November. Also called the Festival of Lights, Diwali means "row of lamps" is one of the largest and most important festivals of the year for Hindus. The festival involves lighting small lamps, called divas, filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. It is also celebrated with fireworks, cleaning the home, wearing new clothes and decorating with lots of lights. In business it is often used to start a new accounting year, and it also celebrates a successful harvest. Families and friends exchange sweets and dried fruits.
Rangoli
Rangoli are traditional patterns used to decorate Hindu homes in India on special occasions.
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| First I helped them trace a plate and using a ruler, draw a geometric design in the circle |
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| They then glued beans, lentils, pasta and spices on their patterns. |
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| Youngest student's |
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| Special Needs Student |
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| Another Student's |
Other topics to explore:
Raksha Bandhan, an Indian holiday where children celebrate their love for their brothers and sisters
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
Siddhartha, the spiritual leader who founded Buddhism.
Dal is the Indian word for lentils. it is cooked almost daily in every Indian home. As a result, there was many different ways to prepare dal. Often they used red lentils and served it over rice.
Taj Mahal
Monsoons
turbans
Hindu wedding ceremony
Himalayan Mountains
Himalayan Mountains
coriander
rickshaws
rickshaws
mehndi (henna )
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| East India Company map |
History of India
We reviewed the rise of Islam (570-1258), the battle which added an Indian province to Alexander the Great's empire,
"Treat me as a King ought" said King Porus when he was captured."That is understood," said Alexander, "but is there anything I can do for you personally.""Everything is included in that one request," replied Porus.
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| Student (age 11) notebook page 1850-1858 Dost Mohammad signs treaty with Great Britain, Sepoys rebel against the East India Company |
And so, we picked up where we had left off in our history studies of India.
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| Student (age 8) notebook page 1919-1930 |
From Colonies to Countries
1919 The Amritsar Massacre
1920's-1948 The peaceful protests of Gandhi
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| Student (age 18, special education) notebook page 1947-present |
1947 India is divided into Pakistan and India (Partition), India gains Independence from Great Britain
1966 Indira Gandhi becomes Prime Minister of India
1971 Bangladesh (East Pakistan) gains Independence from West Pakistan
1984 Bodyguards assassinate Indira Gandhi, Poisonous gasses leak from Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India
Arguments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir
To celebrate our studies, we went to an Indian restaurant buffet and then afterwards looked at a selection of clothes from India that were for sale. (The photos of the paintings all come from the restaurant.)
- Marco Polo's (1271-1295) Journey, Part VII: From India to Venice
- Islamic Empires in the Renaissance
- The Rise of the Dutch
- Revolutions and New Nations
- Daughter of the Mountains, Louise S. Rankin, (grade 3/age 8 and up), includes bits about Tibetan Buddhist monks.
- Gandhi : Peaceful Warrior, Rae Bains (grade 4/age 9 and up)
- India: The Culture; India: Lands and India: Peoples, (3 book set), Bobbie Kalman, (grade 4, age 9), non-fiction
- Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling
- Homeless Bird, Gloria Whelan (age 10 and up)
inspiration:
- Divali Rangoli Pattern at Nurture Store
- Indian Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt at The Golden Gleam
- Slippers of India from Painted Paper
- Sand Painting at The Tiger Chronicle
- Indian doll at Restless Risa
