The Flag Day of the Republic of Poland, which falls on 2 May, was established to highlight the importance of the national colours. At our school we marked it at every turn: in lessons, at the assembly and in art and creative tasks.
The day has been celebrated since 2004, between Labour Day and Constitution Day (3 May). The same day is also the Day of the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad, which makes it doubly important for a Polish school in Great Britain. The colours of the flag refer to the coat of arms: white to the white eagle, and red to the red field of the shield. On the flag, the white stripe is at the top and the red one at the bottom.
Pupils translated this symbolism into artwork. They made white eagles with golden crowns and wings made from cut-out paper handprints, placed on red hearts. The children also did the quiz ‘What do you know about Poland?’, and on worksheets about Polish national symbols they coloured, cut out and stuck in red-and-white elements. They also made paper clocks featuring the national emblem and a map of Poland.
Lessons like these allow children growing up in Great Britain to learn about Polish national symbols not only from textbooks, but also through their own creativity and by talking about what the symbols mean.
The red-and-white artwork made that day can be seen in the gallery.
