Children from Lymington use SchoolNet Global to give us a unique glimpse of English culture as seen through their eyes, CHRISTINGLE Every Christmas we celebrate Christingle by going to church with an orange which is the christingle. Coming out of the orange is a candle and some sticks that have sweets on them. We light the candle at church. Our modern Christingle consists of: an orange representing the world, a red ribbon tied round the orange, representing the blood of Jesus. Fruits and sweets symbolize God's creation, and the candle represents Jesus, The light of the World. More CLAPPING GAMES In the playground at school, you play Clapping games like: See-See- my playmate won't you come and play with me and bring your dollies 3 climb up my apple tree, slide down my rainbow into my cellar door and we'll be best of friends forever more 1234. You play with your best friend in the playground at break times. Other Clapping games like Coca-Cola and Dum-Dum Day are also played. Children from age 5-11 play games like this. More EASTER CELEBRATIONS On Easter day I start off by going to church. At church they say stuff about how Jesus rose again. It is a happy church and it looks bright with flower arrangements and yellow and blue paint. After the service my mum has a cup of tea and talks to everyone and we go back in the church and play. When we leave church we start to do Easter activities and eat lunch. We make little cards with chicks on and stick little furry chicks on. Lots of people have chocolate Easter Eggs, my grandma has three. I can't have them because I am allergic, so I have jelly lollies and sweets shaped for Easter. More HARVEST FESTIVAL At the autumn time we have Harvest Festival. People bring in carrots, potatoes, parsnip, cabbage and apples. All the things that grow in the summer. It is to say thank you for everything growing well and celebrate having lots of food. I like singing autumn songs like 'Conkers' and Harvest songs like 'We are here together'. More ST. GEORGE St George is the Patron Saint of England and Portugal, but he is also a Saint of the Christian Church. He is celebrated on the 23rd of April and was a high-ranking officer in the army of the Roman Empire, about AD 300. St George's legendary slaying of a dragon, symbolised Christ beating the devil. In Oxfordshire there is a flat-topped hill which is known as the Dragon Hill, where it is said that St George killed the dragon. There are patches where grass will not grow - said to be the places where the dragon's blood was spilt. It seems likely that Edward III made St George patron saint of England when he found the Order of the Garter in St George's name in the 14th century. More MY FAVOURITE NURSERY RHYMES My favourite nursery rhyme is Humpty Dumpty. I learnt it when I was four years old. I learnt it at my nursery, we said it in groups of four, I think. My mum knows it too. Humpty dumpty sat on a wall Humpty dumpty had a great fall All the kings horses and all the kings men Couldn't put Humpty together again. I think it is funny that Humpty Dumpty falls and cracks but it doesn't explain if any yolk comes out. More THE QUEEN The Queen is special and important because she is the leader of our country. She wears a crown on important days and special clothes. She is a nice lady, She works with lots of charities. We see her every day on coins. Our Queen lives in Buckingham Palace which is in London. She has other homes around the country, Kensington Palace, Balmoral Castle Windsor Castle, and Sandringham. She has lots of homes so she can visit people around the country. She is very lucky! She loves her people and has been our Queen for 51 years. More SEASIDE HOLIDAYS Lots of children in England go to the seaside in the summer. It is good to go there when it is really hot because the water will cool you down. We have lots of sea because we are a big island. At the seaside you don't usually see sand everywhere. You sometimes see stones and water. The salt water is the sea and the river goes into it. You can make sand castles and swim in the water but it is freezing. Once I tried diving into some seaweed and it got in my face. It felt not very pleasant and I had to take it off. More