Harvest thanksgiving
* Harvest festivals are common to many of the world's religions. In the Christian calendar in Britain, September is usually the time when communities, mainly rural, give thanks for a successful harvest.
* You can take the children in your setting to visit a church that has a harvest display, visit a bakery, set up a display of fruit and vegetables, make corn dollies, look at grains and bread and bake some of your own.
* For ideas, see Nursery World's eight-page pull-out, 'Harvest festivals' (7 September 2000). To order a back copy, call 020 7782 3045.
Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur
* The two most important festivals in the Jewish calendar fall this year on 17 and 26 September.
* The Jewish High Holy Days are observed during the 10-day period between the first (Rosh Hashanah) and the 10th day (Yom Kippur) of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish calender.
* Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks a period of self-examination. It is a time of family gatherings and special meals.
* Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a solemn day of fasting, reflection and prayers.
* See websites such as www.holidays.net/highholydays/
