The Day of a Million Palms
Thursday 19 October was a mufti day for all Year 2 children. But this was a mufti day with a difference for all the children arrived in greens, browns, dusty reds and yellows – they moved through the school like a palm tree plantation on the move. It was the Year 2 Palm Day, a day devoted to and in celebration of the all-important and much loved date palm (Phoenix Dactylifera). Bahrain was once known as the Land of a Million Palms, so it seemed fitting that the children should begin the day by exploring the importance of the date palm in Bahraini culture, as a source of food and building materials. The children then moved through a carousel of activities which included palm frond weaving, date palm tile making and date sweet making/eating. The sheer weight of items completed was testimony to how much the children had learned, how hard they had worked and just how much fun they had during the day.
