Cathedral Education: Seasonal Workshops and Events

The Education Team offer workshops to  mark special annual events in the Cathedral year.

An Easter Journey

An interactive Cathedral Trail that explores the Easter Story in a hands - on, creative way, journeying around the Cathedral, allowing for reflection and response. Designed to be appropriate for children of all faiths and none, it explores the concept of pilgrimage, faith and life as a journey.

For Christian groups, appropriate prayer and contemplation may be included (please advise at the time of booking if this is required).

Objectives

Participants should:

• Be familiar with the sequence of the Easter Story and its time and place
• Know that for Christians life and faith is a journey
• Know that pilgrimage is important in Christianity (and in other faiths)
• Be able to reflect on their own life and journey.

Focus: Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Last Supper, Trial, Crucifixion and Resurrection

Prior knowledge

Please note to get the most out of this visit it is useful if participants have been  introduced in school to the following:

• Jesus as the central figure in Christianity
• The place and time in which the Easter Story takes place
• That pilgrimage is important to Christians and people of other faiths
• That the Easter Story is told in the Bible (the Christian’s Holy Book), in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• That Easter is the most important of Christian festivals.

A Christmas Journey

An interactive Cathedral Trail that explores the major events of the Christmas Story in a hands-on and creative way journeying around the Cathedral. Allowing for reflection and response. 

Designed to be appropriate for children of all faiths and none, it explores the concept of pilgrimage, faith and life as a journey.

For Christian groups, appropriate prayer and contemplation may be included (please advise at the time of booking if this is required).

Objectives

Participants should:

• Be familiar with the sequence of the Christmas Story and its time and place
• Know that for Christians life and faith is a journey
• Know that pilgrimage is important in Christianity (and in other faiths)
• Be able to reflect on their own life and journey.

Focus:  Annunciation, Journey to Bethlehem, the Nativity, Shepherds and Outcasts, Refugees in a Strange Land, Wise Men and a Light to the World.

Prior knowledge

Please note to get the most out of this visit it is useful if participants have been  introduced in school to the following:

• Jesus as the central figure in Christianity
• The place and time in which the Christmas Story takes place
• That pilgrimage is important to Christians and people of other faiths
• That the Christmas Story is told in the Bible (the Christian’s Holy Book), in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Remembrance, Conflict, War and Peace

This involves an introduction to concepts of conflict, war and peace focusing on the Cathedral’s World War I Memorial Window, the Memorial Bells and other memorials to the fallen.  It explores the experiences of Bradfordians, before during and after World War I, using the stories of real people. It investigates how the conflict impinged on the lives of people around the world, across the then British Empire and also considers the voices of those who spoke out for peace.

Workshops available October and November for KS2 and KS3.

Objectives

Participants should:

1. Be able to articulate different ways in which we remember and commemorate things of importance
2. Identify and locate evidence in the Cathedral of memorials and commemoration and suggest why certain things and people are remembered
3. Have a beginning knowledge of World War I and how its impact on people in Bradford and around the world
4. Reflect upon the ways in which people might avoid conflict and create a peaceful world.

There are three areas of focus, each with associated children’s activity and output.

Carousel of Activities

1. Focus: Memorials – the World War I Windows and Memorial Bells (West Doors and Nave).

Children’s outcome:  a memorial window, inscriptions for bells, a memorial for ……

2. Focus: Bradford and the World in World War I – local and national stories told through images (South Transept)

Children’s outcome: A Post Card Home or a Banner for Peace

3. Focus: A War to end all Wars? – What happened next, conflict and peace then and now (South Ambulatory and Chapel of the Holy Spirit).

Children’s outcome: Dove of Peace, or Flag of Hope.

Prior knowledge

Please note to get the most out of this visit it is useful if participants have been introduced in school to the following:

• WWI dates and combatants
• Why this conflict was called a world war
• The peace movement during WWI
• When the end of the World War I is commemorated and what else may be remembered on Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday.