For the first time since the covid pandemic 2019, we were able to hold our International Afternoon which has always been a tradition at the nursery. The children of Thornton Heath Nursery School returned to school in the afternoon (after school had closed!) bringing with them their parents, sisters, brothers, aunties and other family members to celebrate the diversity of the THNS community. The children (and adults) were encouraged to wear clothes that reflected their country of origin and to cook a dish of traditional food to share with other families. The array of food laid out in the kitchen was mouth-watering, from jollof rice to biryani, vegetarian samosa to Spanish omelette and Indian sweets to Iranian cupcakes!! What a feast! Children used chalks to create rangoli patterns, pasta to thread necklaces, danced to music from around the world, painted divas, had their country’s flag painted on their faces and some had mehndi patterns drawn on their hands. Families came together in our dining area to eat the food that had been cooked, sharing recipes and stories from around the world. It was so very rewarding to see the THNS community come together, the friendly atmosphere and buzz of excitement helping to make the afternoon a huge success. Families enjoyed the company of those people that they already knew whilst embracing the opportunity to meet new friends. A wonderful event to finish the first half term of the new school year.
