Year Two had a fantastic day out visiting a Mosque in Gloucester (the Masjid-E-Noor) in the morning and also walking to St. Michael’s Church in Bussage during the afternoon. This was all part of our Religious Education learning where we are currently exploring and comparing features of holy buildings and thinking about how they are used in worship.

Our visit to the Mosque was led by the Imam who fully engaged the children throughout. The visit began with the children and adults all removing their shoes on entry to the Mosque, just as all Muslims do, and placing them in the shoe racks. The Imam explained the meanings of the Five Pillars of Islam and demonstrated how and where Muslims pray when at the Mosque. A real highlight was the children being introduced to the Washroom and being able to have a go themselves at the washing ritual that Muslims do before they begin their prayers. The children were also able to try on some traditional Muslim clothing which was very exciting for all involved! 

During the afternoon, the children walked down to St Michael’s Church in Bussage to explore its features and learn more about how they are used in worship. Reverend Sue led the children around the Church, explaining and demonstrating the important aspects of how Christians pray and how items, such as the altar, chalice and pulpit are used during services. The children were able to complete an ‘I Spy’ activity, looking for key features, as well as draw some of the beautiful aspects of the Church.

We were extremely impressed with all the children throughout both visits, as they were extremely well-behaved, engaged very enthusiastically with all the talks, activities and learning, as well as asking some fantastic questions! Well done, Year Two and a huge thank you to both Imam Hassan and Reverend Sue for making our visits so memorable!