Poppies, Peace & Poplar

This week we talked about bonfire night and firework displays. We made chocolate covered apples with sprinkles. We talked about the statue of an angel that stands in our local Poplar Park where 16 young children lost their lives in the first ever daylight air raid in 1917. We talked about the poppy being a symbol, even in Ancient Greece, of life, death and rebirth - able to lie dormant in the ground for years and burst into life like in Normandy. We talked about the different types and colours of poppies and the meanings in recent times of remberance, peace and 'never again'. We talked about how sad it is to lose people like a grand parent, mum or uncle. We made different colour poppies with hearts for petals to show our love for those we have lost. 

Bonfire Night

Last year I went to Victoria Park with Sue, Josh and Craig and saw a pretty spectacular 'bonfire' ...a large scale model of Westminster... including a Big Ben which went up in flames to reveal a skeleton in its timbers in a dramatic pyrotechnic & musical extravaganza, the blaze of which warmed and lit up the faces of the crowd of cheering hundreds... followed by the obligatory firework display.

This year I stayed in.

I joined Thomas in his anti-firework campaign and I boycotted Bonfire Night...

Why? Choose the correct answer and see if you know me as well as you think you do or don't. Is the answer - a, b or c?

a) because of the huge waste of resources for the purpose of entertainment

b) because of the practice of burning effigies and celebrating terrorism

c) because of the number of firework related injuries & incidents

It was d)...it was cold...I was tired and I had a good book...That and I discovered Virtual Fireworks...free, safe and can be enjoyed in the warmth of your own home.

Check these sites out:

Cyber Fireworks - where you can choose where to have the show ie. Whitehouse & you run it

Fireworks.com - more American shows like in Times Square or in the sky above the Statue of Liberty

Kent Fireworks - UK shows over Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square etc.

Maylin Fireworks - just a sky - could be anywhere...could be projected onto your ceiling...your own bedroom night sky filled with fireworks