A Christian Research Institute
Resources
Exploring Why Series
(Free resource for 5- to 7- year-olds)
Veil (Islam) Bread (Christianity)
Menorah (Judaism)
What is the series about?
Aled and Siān love exploring the places where they live and the places they go to visit. They enjoy playing 'I Spy' to help them get to know these places better. In the Exploring Why series, Aled and Siān are curious to find out why some of the things around them are important to their Christian, Jewish and Muslim friends.The series takes seriously the social significance of religion and is based on extensive research into how children learn about themselves, others and the world in which they live.
This curriculum development project is a Welsh Government commissioned resource, which is created and managed by the St Mary’s Centre in collaboration with the St Giles’ Centre, Wrexham. All the resources are available in both Welsh and English and were published in October 2016. These books are influenced by the Young People's Attitudes to Religious Diversity Project.
- FREE downloads are available at the bottom of this web page.
- The B5 paperback versions of the storybooks are available from the Welsh Books Council.
There are seven storybook titles in the series:
- Cross (Christianity)
- Bread (Christianity)
- Veil (Islam)
- Water (Islam)
- Menorah (Judaism)
- Light (Judaism)
- Symbols of Faith (brings the three religions together in a celebration of faiths)
Each storybook is available in four different formats
The formats can be used flexibly according to individual contexts. The four storybook formats comprise:
- short text version
- long text version
- key question version
- pictures only version
The teachers’ and pupils’ information and activities follow the same pattern for each storybook title. This material is deliberately non-prescriptive and inherently flexible, recognising the nature of the Foundation Phase classroom today and also the importance of stimulating and supporting teacher creativity and individuality. For each double page of the storybook, there is:
- a page of ideas for activities for seven areas of learning for the Foundation Phase;
- a pupil activity sheet/s to support one of these activity ideas;
- a symbol link which takes you to further ideas for developing specific RE connections.
Accessing the Exploring Why series
Bread
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners
Cross
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners
Light
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners
Menorah
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners
Symbols of Faith
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners
Veil
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners
Water
Short Story
Extended Story
Key Questions
Pictures
Resource activities for teachers and learners