On Wednesday 27th February, Year 2 went to the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend. We have been learning about Sikhism since January and were really looking forward to the trip. We had a great day. We travelled to the Gurdwara by coach and the first thing that we saw was a tall flag and a large temple. It had beautiful domes and detailed patterns. From the coach we could see Sikhs praying at the flag before they entered the temple.

When we got off the coach we went straight into the Gurdwara. We had to separate into boys and girls and go to different changing areas. We had to take off our shoes and cover our heads. This is to show respect for the Sikh religion.

The Gurdwara was beautiful. It had lovely patterns on the floor and ceilings. There were large chandeliers hanging down and wide staircases. We also saw photos of the Golden Temple at Amritsar. The people were very welcoming too and the Gurdwara was a very quiet, calm place.  A Sikh lady came to show us around and we went straight into a large prayer room. We could see the special book called the Guru Granth Sahib and some of us chose to pray in front of it. Year 2 learnt about how and when Sikh people pray and their beliefs. We looked at the beautiful detailed window where we could see the Khanda symbol and the first letter of the Guru Granth Sahib. After this, we all tried some sweet bread which is given to Sikhs after prayer so that they think sweet thoughts and say kind things throughout their day. We really enjoyed tasting this.

We asked lots of questions and listened really carefully all day.

Why is the Guru Granth Sahib put to bed?
Does anybody live here?
Why could we not bring meat, fish or eggs?
When do Sikhs pray?
How long do you pray for?
What are the patterns on the window?
What does the symbol mean?
Why is there a sword?

Next, we went onto the balcony above the prayer room and this allowed us to see the Guru Granth Sahib from above and look at the patterns on the carpets. There was a room next to the balcony where the Guru Granth Sahib goes to bed at night. Year 2 had a look in there too.

Gurdwara’s all have kitchens so this was our next stop! We were very lucky as there was food prepared for us! We were very excited to taste japati, lentil dahl and vegetable curry. We sat on the floor with our friends and shared our lunch. It was great to sample different foods and we thought it was wonderful. Very tasty and spicy! Eating together on a large area shows all Sikhs are equal or the same.

We learnt that all Sikhs volunteer in the Gurdwara. Some people will be cooking, washing up and serving whilst others may be showing schools around or cleaning different areas. It was a lovely atmosphere.

After sampling this food, we then ate our own packed lunches and were ready for the afternoon! This involved sketching the inside of the Gurdwara. Some of us sketched the carpets, some of us sketched the windows and some of us sketched the ceilings. It also gave us time with our adults to have another wander around. We then went outside to sketch the building. Year 2 looked really carefully at the archways and the different patterns. We also liked sketching the flag.

After a very fascinating day, we were all ready to come home! We had learnt so much about Sikhism and the people were so very hospitable. It was a great day out and so much work has been done in class since.

We have written recounts of our day which started with a text map, then planning and finally the recount. Our writing focussed on adding detail and time connectives. In art, we came back and produced some lovely patterns. We copied our sketches using pastels and black paper. We painted too. In ICT we imported some of the photos that the teachers took and manipulated these. They look really effective. Another activity involved creating a collage pattern using tissue paper and working in a group.