Do you know?
Diwali (in Hindi) or Deepavali (in Tamil) is the Hindu Festival of Lights. The name originally comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning a row of lights. Wherever Diwali is being celebrated you will see shops, houses and public places decorated with small, earthenware, oil lamps known as diyas. They are usually placed in rows on window sills and outside buildings as decorations.
Another well recognized activity we know of probably are the Rangoli Patterns, beautifully made decorations, drawn on floors and even pavements, usually with rice flour and water, or dry and made with powdery, colored sand.
Rangoli Craft
Rangolis and Diwali is synonymous. The most common practice is to make the Rangoli at the main entrance of the home, inviting Goddess Lakshmi for year round prosperity. However, you can also hang rangolis above doors. Here we give you a Rangoli idea that you can hang on the walls, by making it on a piece of large cardboard, or make it directly on the floor.
Materials you will need:
A full size Cardboard piece, if you intend to hang it.
Black marker pen
coloring of any sort, suited to the craft.
Rangoli pattern
Colour Crepe papers and Glue
Instructions :
Print out a Rangoli pattern of your choice from our Rangoli page and trace it onto cardboard (or the floor, as the case may be), using a black marker.
Materials you will need:
A full size Cardboard piece, if you intend to hang it.
Black marker pen
coloring of any sort, suited to the craft.
Rangoli pattern
Colour Crepe papers and Glue
Instructions :
Print out a Rangoli pattern of your choice from our Rangoli page and trace it onto cardboard (or the floor, as the case may be), using a black marker.
Cut the coloured crepe paper into small pieces and roll them into small balls. (Your child can helo you with the cutting and rolling of the crepe paper. It is a good fine motor exercise for them.)
spread glue onto the Rangoli, section by section.
While the glue is still wet, have children carefully paste the colored crepe balls within the Rangoli pattern. Make it a joint effort, with kids doing the pasting, you can help them to roll more crepe balls.
When the Rangoli is finished, let it dry thoroughly.
If you had made it on a cardboard, make two holes on two corners, and hang it wherever you want.
I hope you will enjoy the Diwali activity with your child during the weekend.
Cheers,
Ms Christina.
