During our EAL Afternoon, we travelled to Bulgaria to discover more about this fascinating country. We explored where Bulgaria is located on the world map, learned about its traditions and culture, and discovered some of the delicious traditional foods eaten there.

Each year group took part in different activities to help them learn more about Bulgaria, exploring its language, customs, food and interesting facts. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to celebrate different cultures, share experiences and develop a greater understanding of the world around us.

Take a look below to see what each year group got up to!

Reception explored patterns inspired by Bulgarian designs. The children experimented with the colours red, black and white to create their own repeating patterns. They enjoyed arranging the colours in different sequences, developing their understanding of pattern, colour and repetition while creating their own unique designs.

Year 1 explored traditional Bulgarian embroidery, looking at the beautiful patterns and colours used in decorative designs. The children then created their own grid patterns using red, yellow and green, inspired by the colours and designs they had discovered. They enjoyed experimenting with shapes, colours and repeating patterns while learning about an important part of Bulgarian culture.

Year 2 explored traditional Bulgarian embroidery and weaving, looking at the colours and patterns used in decorative designs. Inspired by the Bulgarian flag, the children used red, white and green to create their own woven patterns. They practised the traditional over-and-under weaving technique, carefully threading the colours to create their own colourful designs while developing their fine motor skills and understanding of pattern and texture.

Year 3 explored Bulgaria's national flower, the beautiful rose. The children looked carefully at the shape, petals and details of a rose before creating their own observational drawings. They focused on capturing the delicate features of the flower, developing their observation and artistic skills while learning about one of Bulgaria's most recognisable symbols.

Year 4 explored the beautiful Bulgarian rose through sketching, focusing on the different features of the flower, including overlapping petals and delicate thorns. The children then used oil pastels to experiment with creating tints and shades, adding lighter and darker tones to bring their roses to life. They developed their drawing skills and explored how colour and tone can add depth and detail to their artwork.

In Year 5 they explored the traditional architecture of Bulgaria, looking at photographs of Bulgarian houses and identifying their distinctive features. The children created their own detailed drawings, carefully observing the shapes, patterns, windows, roofs and decorative features of the buildings. They took great care to include the finer details, developing their observational drawing skills while learning more about Bulgaria's unique architecture and cultural heritage.

Year 6 explored the streets and architecture of Bulgaria, looking at how buildings, roads and pathways create a sense of depth in a street scene. The children developed their sketching skills by using perspective and a vanishing point to create the illusion of distance. They carefully included details of the Bulgarian buildings and surroundings, bringing their street scenes to life while developing their understanding of perspective in art.