Celebrating Mother's Day
AGE: Infants and Juniors (especially Infants) |
THEME: Celebrating Mother's Day |
AIM: |
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PREPARATION: |
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DEVELOPMENT: |
| Ask the children to think about two days when we eat special things - Pancake Day and Easter Day. Mention that one was about three weeks ago and another will happen in three weeks' time. Then mention that this Sunday (or whenever the fourth Sunday in Lent will be) has traditional food too: egg custard, waffles, wafers - even lambs tails! Not many of these are eaten today but one that is sometimes seen in shops is the Simnel Cake. Has anyone heard of it? Why would there be a special cake today? To find out we should have to go back in history to the days when many young girls left home to go into domestic service. Some of them were not much older than you will be when you go to secondary school. They didn't get home very much so seeing their family was a really special time. One occasion when they did get home was in the middle of Lent. Lent is the season of nearly six weeks before Easter. It begins with Ash Wednesday (the day after Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, and ends on Easter Day). During Lent, people remember the time that Jesus went in the wilderness to think about his life. He had a hard time there and was often hungry. So his followers have tried to keep Lent as a time when they lead simple lives. Sometimes they give something up or do something special for other people or try to lead a better life themselves. But halfway through Lent comes Mothering Sunday, a day when everyone is allowed to relax and enjoy themselves. Hundreds of years ago, people celebrated by 'church-clipping' - a ceremony where people clasped hands in a great ring around the church and walked around it to show how much they loved it. In Victorian days and before, the young servant girls would be given the day off to go and show their love for their family by giving their mother a day free of work and bringing her presents. Simnel cake was one of these presents. In the north of England, Fig Pies were the traditional present. The girls took spring flowers too, tied up in to little nosegays, which were blessed in church before being presented. All in all, Mothering Sunday was seen as a day of pleasure for everyone and an important time in the year, especially for people in country areas. Today we still remember Mother's Day, although it's more likely to be with a card and a box of chocolates or bunch of flowers than with a simnel cake. But the love and appreciation are still the same. |
PRAYER: |
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For those we love Thank you Lord For those who love us Thank you Lord For times when we feel peaceful Thank you Lord For times when we feel content Thank you Lord For times of refreshment and hope Thank you Lord |
MUSIC: |
| Part of 'Spring' from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi (from the beginning). |
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES: |
Pastry case Cooked Figs - 2 cups (if the figs are dried, soak them overnight) Egg whites - 2 Sugar - three-quarters cup Currants - quarter cup Orange rind - 1 tablespoon Treacle/Syrup - 1 tablespoon Mixed Spice - half teaspoon Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C or Moderate). Cut up the figs into fairly small pieces. Add the figs and all other ingredients except the egg whites, and mix together.In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, as if making meringue, then fold them into the mixture, making sure it is well blended but trying not to over-work it. Add to the pastry case and bake in the preheated oven until golden-brown. |