a great and inspiring person who is doing much for peace and education in Africa. This is during the Olympics. I met her and her assistant stayed with me for a few days. Not overtly religious but profoundly spiritual. I will explore that side of her work in more depth and add another file regarding our conversation if I can. But a great resource to share and discuss when looking at issues of peace and conflict, inspiring people, real education, citizenship and sport

Valentines Day today, but the first blog is just to catch up a bit. My computer is ill so I could only write on paper for a few days, 13th = background info about me and my hubbie, + when we went to Paris Disney last year to celebrate my mother-in-law's 90th birthday. 15th is mostly about Valentine's day, love and relationships in general - mostly me and my hubbie. I was asked to prepare a Biography for something else - but I thought it might interest my blog-readers. Sorry for blog-gaps. My laptop died and I have little access to a computer.

Follows previous blog - starts on 17th April but I will include the ones from 12th and 16th to give some background info for anyone who may come fresh to this. I am in New York, taking part in a spiritual festival. I came on 3rd and in two days I will return to England. Returned on 20th. Just added blog with photos for 26th and info on good habits for 27th plus another file on good habits from a zenhabits site my son likes. link to brilliant youtube film 'I AM' on 29th 30th includes a Birthday poem.

This simple overview of Judaism can be used to revise or consolidate a unit of KS3 work or to refresh and introduce a unit for further study in KS4. Including both a Word Search and Cross-Word Puzzle to reinforce Key Words, this resource will link with further ones which explore each area in more detail. Currently Under Construction.....

Creating a Faith-Friendly Learning Environment. Event on 4th February for teachers and TA's in Primary, Secondary and FE - from any curriculum subjects and schools outside the Faith Sector. Developing spaces for prayer and reflection in 'secular schools' - etc

This simple overview of Sikhism can be used to revise or consolidate a unit of KS3 work or to refresh and introduce a unit for further study in KS4. Including both a Word Search and Cross-Word Puzzle to reinforce Key Words, this resource will link with further ones which explore each area in more detail. Currently Under Construction.....

continuing blog. The first two files include photos of the kitties. The on on 25th also includes some reflections on the meaning and significance of birthdays. 30th is about presentation skill training and my workshop next week. 1st has some sheets for next weeks workshop.the scanned texts (which come from the Interfaith video/slide-show) are loaded separately + original slide-Show they go with. - see http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Reflections-On-Life-part-2-InterFaith-with-music-6079804/ for original plus music

Sir John Tavener - Spiritual Composer - readings from the Guardian Obit... 'his universalist focus continued to result in wonderful works, such as the mass Sollemnitas in Conceptione Immaculata Beatae Mariae Virginis and the Requiem... Drawing its texts from Sufi poetry, the Catholic Mass, the Koran and Hindu words from the Upanishad, Tavener explained that 'the essence of the Requiem is contained in the words &'Our glory lies where we cease to exist&';'... a story about a 'journey' and becoming 'one with God'.

details to follow in haste (referred to in December blog)

Some articles about RE in Britain and around the world. I will add more as I come across them,

This simple overview of Islam can be used to revise or consolidate a unit of KS3 work or to refresh and introduce a unit for further study in KS4. Including both a Word Search and Cross-Word Puzzle to reinforce Key Words, this resource will link with further ones which explore each area in more detail. Currently Under Construction.....

responding to a great video about an Indian who is caring for the destitute - https://www.facebook.com/groups/212329012138235/permalink/598115910226208/#!/photo.php?v=754295981250483&set=vb.326280940802638étype=2étheater and responding to his mention that some Brahmins criticise him.

A selection of readings from different cultures and religions. The ego is limited. To achieve spiritual progress we need to feel the whole world as our own and all people as members of our family. This requires the limited ego (which separates and divides us from others) to be transformed into the 'divine ego&' which feels that the entire world is part of our own existence...

My blogs are of interest as a commentary on life - from what is often a spiritual perspective. This one is mainly about a mixed-ability Group-Work project that my Yr 8 class enjoyed and although it was a History project on the Fire of London it's using an approach which can be used for almost any topic.

Yr 9 experience a good place to start. Readings / examples of missionaries. Success - eg Bruce Olson (from Wikki), \nfaith challenged - remaining Christian but no longer exclusivist fundamentalist - more liberal - eg blog by Lana Hope in Missions from an unfundamentalist Christian\nsome put Christianity to aside and became atheist in response to their experiences eg Daniel Everett - in the articles about his book 'Don&'t Sleep, There are Snakes.&';\nI hope to add more examples - please suggest some and give your comments.

New Year Resolutions? Meditation, Conscious Breathing, Mindfulness and A Gratitude-Attitude. Part of an article I wrote for an online magazine about turning failure into success. The full article is shared as a paid resource for £5.00. There is a lot of material here to help in reducing stress, building resilience and increasing happiness - tried and tested, practical strategies which you can fit into your day. Since I retired I switched from teaching RE to working in Health and Wellbeing. I am keen to serve my wonderful colleagues. - so here is the first part free… A New Year has begun. Lots of people are talking about New Year’s Resolutions. The opportunity to make a fresh start is important – but it is not just restricted to New Year’s Day. Each day offers us the opportunity for a new beginning. Stress My work is all about reducing stress, building resilience and increasing happiness. I have developed a unique programme I call ‘The Seven Steps to Happiness’ which was in face to face workshops before 2020 but is now online. Most people know that a lot of stress is related to the thoughts we hold in our mind. Conscious Breathing is a strategy which gives our mind something positive and powerful to focus on. It is with us all the time. The outside situation may still be stressful. We may not be able to reduce the causes of our stress, but with this simple exercise, our mind can become our friend and ally instead of our chief tormentor. It’s like having an umbrella on a rainy day. The rain is still falling but we are not getting wet. In this case it is the mental exercise of consciously taking our mind away from our fears or negative mental chatter and directing it instead to our breath, then choosing to make our breath gentle, slow and deep. When we do that, our brain does not perceive the situation we are in as so alarming or dangerous anymore so stress is reduced and happiness increases. When we are in danger, our brain releases cortisol and adrenaline to prepare us for fight and flight. This is called the Stress response. If we are in physical danger, it prepares us for immediate action. But if the source of stress is not physical – and keeps recurring, these hormones build up and can cause both physical and mental illness. That is called Chronic Stress and is one of the biggest causes of ill-health in the world today. But by using conscious breathing, because we have calmed our mind, our brain stays quiet. No stress response. Risk of Chronic Stress - eliminated. Feelings come and go Like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. Thich Nhat Hanh

This is a Facebook Live I recorded relating to my thoughts around a quote from the Sermon on the Mount which I felt was out of context. In Religious Education the one thing we all focus on is the quest for Truth. Truth is elusive - a bit like Life or Reality - impossible to define - but we do have the capacity to aim for it. As a Religious Education Specialist, when anyone uses a quote from any scripture to reinforce their argument, it rings alarm bells because it is possible to justify almost anything with the judicious use of quotations. In this video I refer to the US elections and Mr Trump as an example of some of the things we value and need to protect.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew - Luke’s version is on a Plain - contains a distilation of Jesus’ teaching. It is focussed on Love. I am a Religious Education Specialist teacher - so when anyone reinforces their words with a quote from any scriptural source - from any of the religions - alarm bells sound for me. I have a very dear friend - Sri Akarshana - who gives daily Youtube videos to inspire and educate. I love the way he brings together the inner and the outer world, spirituality and materialism. But this morning he used a reference to The Sermon on the Mount - and I was inspired to investigate…

This crossword-puzzle with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies - unit 1.3 Marriage and family life. This resource includes: two versions of the crossword puzzle, Teacher's Notes which give all the answers plus hints and Helpful Hints which you can use to aid differentiation or share with the whole class when the time provided for this activity is nearly up. Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson introducing the topic, extension activity, homework or revision. In addition to the required Key-Words, a small number of additional words relating to this topic have been included.

This ten-word crossword-puzzle with Teacher's Notes and Helpful Hints is designed to reinforce or revise the main Key-Words for the GCSE Religious Studies topic 1.1 Believing in God. This resource includes 3 crosswords, Teacher's Notes which include answers and hints - and a Helpful Hints sheet to aid differentiation. Ideal for use as a Starter Activity, part of a lesson about the topic, extension activity, homework or revision, there is a second crossword to cover all the Key Words in this topic. In addition to the required Key-Words, a small number of additional words relating to this topic have been included. note - here you have an extra version of the crossword, as I was experimenting with different systems. I preferred the one which I then felt required enlarging, but have kept all the versions for you convenience.