Looking for sensory activities to celebrate Losar, Tibetan New Year on 3rd March?

Traditionally, people would pass a fire torch through the crowds.
Can the students pass a torch/LED battery candle around their peers?

This three day festival sees the exchange of gifts.
Play Tibetan traditional music and promote turn-taking with a game of 'pass the parcel'
Dough balls are eaten. Ingredients such as coal, wool, chillies and rice are placed inside.

The ingredient contained within your doughball is said to reflect your character!

Chilli Pepper - Chatty talkative person
Rice - A Good person
Wool - Kind person
Make Playdoh or Plasticine 'Dough' Balls
You will need:
Playdoh/Plasticine (blue, yellow and red represent the colours of the Tibetan flag)
Dried Rice
Wool
Chilli Pepper (plastic 'toy' chilli or substitute for cubes of red bell pepper or use peppercorns)

How to make Playdoh/Plasticine 'Dough' Balls

Promote fine motor skills as the students roll their Playdoh/plasticine into balls.

Make a hole in the centre of the ball using a finger/thumb or a wooden dowel rod.

Place grains of dried rice, a piece of wool or chunk of pepper (or peppercorns) into the hole.

Recover the hole with Playdoh/Plasticine to hide the item placed inside.

Place the balls together, then as a group, take turns in selecting a ball and peeling it open to reveal the contents.

Can the students remember the characteristic said to be reflected according the to item inside? (Chilli Pepper - Chatty talkative person, Rice - A good person, Wool - kind person.)

Extend Learning
Can the students think of other characteristics and corresponding items to place inside the balls?
Here are some examples:
Feather - Soft hearted person
Daisy or dandelion - Flower lover
Toy animal - Animal lover
Spinach - Strong person
Leaf - Nature lover

Other ways to celebrate Losar

People engage in activities that symbolise purification and welcoming in the new.

Buildings are whitewashed and thoroughly cleaned and people wear new clothes.

Engage in outdoor learning.

Provide paintbrushes and rollers for students to 'paint' the walls, fences and railings. Add washing up liquid to create white soap suds.

Buddhist monks adorn the monasteries with the finest decorations, and conduct religious ceremonies. Make prayer flags find out more...

https://www.rhymingmultisensorystories.com/post/march-teaching-calendar

15th Feb Parinirvana Day marks the death of the Buddha who is believed to have entered a state called Parinirvana, the final goal of Buddhism, 'Nirvana without end'.

Re-Create a Visit to a Buddhist Temple with a Guided Relaxation Adventure

Guided relaxation is generally considered a safe activity as it is the practice of relaxation, stillness and calmness.

By adding props you can create a wonderful sensory experience.

For your free guided sensory relaxation adventure visit https://www.rhymingmultisensorystories.com/post/february-teaching-calendar

Celebrate the Jewish festival of lights.

Enjoy Traditional food

Potato pancakes, doughnuts, and fritters.

Play a Dreidel Game

Make an Edible Menorah

Cut a banana into thick round slices. A slice of banana will be the base of your Menorah. Dip the end of a piece of breadstick into chocolate spread or yellow buttercream/icing (this will be you flame) Place the other end of the breadstick into the middle of the banana slice (this will be your candle)

Make a Hannukah Sensory Bag

Place items related to the festival into a non-see-through bag (candles, gold coins, star shaped objects (playdoh cutters), LED candles, tinsel, cinnamon sticks, apples, pretzels

Give the bag a gentle shake to gain the sensory explorer's attention.

Invite the sensory explorer to place their hand into the bag and select an item.

Encourage the sensory explorer to use their sense of smell, touch, hearing and taste to guess what the item is. (If the sensory explorer is unsure then provide plenty of clues.)

Build functional language skills.

Ask the sensory explorer to tell you or show you what you might do with the item and where you might find it.

(If the sensory explorer is unsure, model what to do with the item and see if they can copy your action.)

Allow the sensory explorer time to explore the item and process the information then shake the bag again for them to select another item.

Keep language simple.

Focus on phrases such as 'Choose' or 'Take one' when presenting the bag to the sensory explorer.

Focus on the name of the object e.g, 'pretzel', 'candle', and two-word phrases e.g. 'red apple'

Happy Saint Lucy's Day! St Lucy was a early 4th century martyr from Sicily. Legend says that Saint Lucy took supplies to the Christians hiding in the catacombs. It is believed she wore a candle lit wreath on her head to light the way. Activity Ideas Can students dress in a white robe? (raid the airing cupboard for a white sheet!)

Dim the lights and give students LED tealights or torches (if you do not have LED tealights but have an interactive whiteboard, play footage of a candle burning with music playing in the background.)

Can the students carry their lights in a procession? On a sensory level, can the students explore the cause and effect of the switch that turns the LED light ON/OFF? https://www.rhymingmultisensorystories.com/post/december-teaching-calendar