Cultural Day at Primary School

[DancingonmyOwn88]

Looking for ideas! Not a political debate.

it’s Cultural appreciation Day next week at my son’s school, there’s quite a lot of different backgrounds that his classmates are coming from (only 15 in the class but it’s a southeast London borough) and we are actually in a bit of a minority being white British.

But they want parents to be involved which is very nice and it happens to be a day I’m not working, so they’re inviting us to come in and do a 5-10 min activity and take some traditional food from your culture to a class lunch.

As I say we are just English. Not even any Scottish or Irish or Welsh or things that are widely celebrated. I suppose it’s just making me wonder if it’s ‘ok’ to outwardly celebrate being white British without causing any offence (please no Reform-esque debates here I am trying to navigate it appropriately!

What do I do? Learn morris dancing? Dress as a Pearly Queen 😂

I thought about just reading a Paddington Bear book and making some marmalade sandwiches but is that a bit lame?

DS is only in reception by the way so they’re all very small obviously and they’re still all getting to know each other as a class.

Couldn’t she master the walk?

I suppose it’s just making me wonder if it’s ‘ok’ to outwardly celebrate being white British without causing any offence

What is the world coming to, when people fear that celebrating the Country they live in, might offend the foreigners that have moved there? I could honestly cry at this.

I’ve volunteered at two culture days at my daughter’s school and they’ve been great! The first one I printed mandalas and the kids decorated them and the second one I give them all a rectangle of white card and they made a flag from their culture. We made a wall display out of them!

I threatened to send my DD in with jellied eels as her dad’s side of the family are all Londoners 😂

And I am not wrong. The character is not British. So why are you arguing against that? Poirot was also a UK resident, incidentally.

Well op
What's traditional for you ..from Your childhood
Mine would be traditional party food ..so cheese sandwich in triangles ,jelly and ice-cream.. although you probably can't do ice-cream obviously
Sausage rolls ,..pork pies ..( I'm actually vegan ,so I'd be making all vegan food)
I'm just trying to think what was traddional for me as a child
My nanny always made a beautiful lemon sponge cake
I actually love this idea .I'd be showing of vegan food ..
Yorkshire pudding is traditional roast beef , shepherds pie , casserole,hot pot .
Broth
Cornish pasties went down the mine with cold tea
You've lots of choice there ...
I hope you have a lovely day ..I'd of loved to of gone to that

I am saying that you don’t get to whitewash people’s origin stories to create a different narrative. Anyone can integrate and welcoming people from other cultures is something we should be doing more of, not less, but we shouldn’t do it by erasing their heritage. Just look at the way that indigenous cultures were treated in the US and Aus, for example. Paddington being an immigrant is a really important part of his story, and acknowledging that and his love of British culture rather than trying to make him British is a distinction that matters.

I wouldn't cry about it.

The OP doesn't make any sense because not only has her child been specifically asked (along with others) to celebrate, she's the only one who brought colour into it.

Like people of colour couldn't possibly be English.

I don't think she's wondering at all.

The character of Paddington is not British but the story very much is. A stranger welcomed and cared for, also Mr Gruber. The original books had a very post WW2 feel about them.

And THAT is what is important about the story, and is lost if you try and gloss over Paddington being an immigrant.

I'm not arguing that Paddington isn't Peruvian 🙄

The point soooo many people are trying to get through to you is, is that the author was English and that he wrote an English/British classic.

Peak freans by any chance?

It’s a great message of British tolerance, diversity and integration. Very good choice for a cultural day.

I agree with you but it's still relevant to a Cultural Day as that welcome is part of the culture. I wouldn't try to over explain it to 5 year olds who have probably only seen the films though.

I love the Paddington bear idea. It’s simple and fun and brilliant. I also love the rhyming slang idea because that is something that’s unique and fun. The Cornwall versus Devon scones could also be a lot of fun! But your simplest idea for really young kids is going to be Paddington Bear :)

Sadly though there are always a view who like to show their superiority with comments like this, it wouldn't apply to their hygiene oviously! Did the Wi go ahead with their plans to ban jam jars etc being reused for home made jams, chutneys etc.?

Re- Paddington: Winnie the Pooh has just turned 100 (he’s 100 and a day to be precise), that may be a nice, thing to incorporate. And surely there’s nothing controversial about ‘Silly Pooh bear’ I hope not anyway

Paddington vs Pooh face off? 😂

Careful, you’ll get people pointing out that the inspo for Winnie was a Canadian black bear called Winnipeg 😂

Winnie the Pooh is a good shout to, definitely. I do find the Paddington books land better with really young children though (a lot of the children in the class speak other languages at home, so I’m hoping they’ll have the films as a reference if they’ve never heard the book being read)

More you feel ashamed of your background, more people will make you feel about it.

Yes, Paddington sounds like a good idea or any other children character or something from literature. You have a culture too.

Someone may have said this already - yes, do Paddington, make marmalade sandwiches and then point out how welcoming the Browns were (with the initial exception of Mr Brown) to a penniless Peruvian immigrant and what a success it turned out to be!😁

No shame. I didn’t grow up in a multicultural environment, at all (tiny Norfolk coastal village) DS IS growing up in a multicultural environment. I just want to do things right.

At least Paddington is fully clothed. Not disporting himself about in some kind of cropped top and nothing else like Pooh.

Potted shrimp sandwiches and a tub of jellied eels?

And a chat about the fabulous finds along the Thames which highlights the very colourful history of London.

Paddington was not a real person. It’s a product of an English man’s imagination, which has been loved by children all over.

Why is it difficult to understand?