Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Harvest Festival

14 replies

SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:21

I am trying to decide whether I am being overly pedantic - so feel free to tell me if you think I am.

My dd, 5yrs, had her Harvest Festival service in our local church recently. The whole school was there, and each class had a set piece to do - based upon the theme ' Harvest Around the World'. It was a really lovely service overall, but a couple of things struck me as a bit wrong. I suppose I had better just mention that dd attends a C of E primary in England, though as a family we are a mixture of lazy Atheists and non-practising Christians.

So, this Harvest Festival Y3 had Australia as their subject. Most of it was fine - all a bit 'oooh, they do it at a different time of year'. But when they got to the hop harvest one child proceeded to hold up a picture of a can of lager. So far as I know, hops play no part in lager production Grin. In the grand scheme of things it is not earth-shatteringly important, but I am just itching to point it out to the school!

Rather more worryingly, Y6 had China and went for a historical angle. Apparently, in the 13th century the Chinese were governed by the Mongols who were (and I quote) 'very evil people'. Now, I recognise that the Mongols can be held to account for a substantial number of atrocities. Surely dismissing an entire race as evil in a C of E church service is going a bit far though???!!! Shock

OP posts:
gordyslovesheep · 07/10/2013 21:25

could be worse - My dd1 did a Christmas play about 'Christmas around the world' - her class was 'China' ...I was asked to provide a Geisha style outfit

SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:28

gordyslovesheep - did they give you the mandatory 24hrs notice to whip it up at home? Wink Grin

..potters off to find out what they actually do in China/Japan at Christmas (forewarned is fore-armed)...

OP posts:
gordyslovesheep · 07/10/2013 21:30

oh yes - it was more the ...hang on that's JAPAN thing Grin I didn't have the heart to mention it to her teacher although I was tempted to send her in a green uniform clutching a little red book

SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:32

green uniform and red book = genius.

OP posts:
SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:34

I'm half tempted to send DD in with a family tree for her next show-and-tell. A couple pf generations back she has some indeterminate Tartar/Mongol ancestors. I seriuosly doubt anyone at the school would make the connection, though.

OP posts:
EverybodysStressyEyed · 07/10/2013 21:40

some lagers are made using hops

the mongol thing - you have a point

SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:45

well what do you know? A quick google confirms that you are quite right - lager is often made using hops. I always had it in my head that hops were what made bitter bitter. You live and learn. Happy to U on that one.

[Mental note to self to bother doing research before posting] Smile

OP posts:
SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:46

happy to *be U

OP posts:
EverybodysStressyEyed · 07/10/2013 21:47

yup - hands up who's recently been on a brewery tour despite not being a beer drinker

(just me then...)

notthefirstagainstthewall · 07/10/2013 21:54

(Lager and beer can made from hops actually - the yeast is different.)

We have the worse Harvest Festival

This will out me but for harvest festival our school did.....drumroll ...
a talent show.
How the jeffing hell is that anything to do with being grateful for the food we having and sharing with those that have less? I have no idea. It was called a Harvest of Talent to celebrate our children. Never mind that the the poor infants didn't even have much in the way of talents aged 4 and 5.
I'm not even religious but the idea of kids doing X factor instead of learning about food/production//issues makes me grrrr. Anybody that can enlighten me please do. And we are a rural school...

SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 21:58

'Harvest of Talent' Shock

That brings some terrible images to mind (as we approach the Halloween horror film season) Grin

OP posts:
Mimishimi · 07/10/2013 22:01

Well if you knew what the Mongols did to India .... Then again, look at Iraq and Afghanistan.

SpinCycle · 07/10/2013 22:05

Mimishimi - I realise that there are plenty of truly horrific (and well documented) examples of atrocities, and I am by no means trying to say that they should be played down. I am just a bit Confused as to why the subject ever came up in a Harvest Festival. And not at all comfortable branding an entire people as evil in any circumstance. This was a C 0f E service - even the vicar looked uncomfortable.

OP posts:
GrendelsMum · 07/10/2013 22:33

I'd leave it tbh, although this is the sort of thing that gets me insanely stressed and uptight in real life.

I suspect the Y6 teacher is not big on historical relativism, history as painted by the victors, etc. And even if he/she was, it's probably a very difficult concept to try to convey sensitively and appropriately to the class of 10 year ok.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page