Sukhy Kaur's book "Is That Paras' Turban?", has been turned into a themed Creation Station class that will run across the UK during March.

Sukhy Kaur brings her son Harjan,  to her local Creation Station classes in Thame, Oxfordshire. 

In early January,  Sarah Cressall, Founder of the Creation Station, visited the class ran by Emma Winterbourne, the local Creation Station franchise partner.  

Sarah was soon chatting with Sukhy. Sukhy mentioned has written and published a book to help children understand what a turban is and why some people wear them. Her friend, Rebecca Kaur had illustrated the book so it was very much a community project to bring this positive message to other communities. 

Sarah could see how Sukhy's book could help children and families learn about a different culture in an engaging and creative way. 

In celebration of the Sikh New Year in March, we will be introducing this story to The Creation Station preschool classes.  

Creation Station classes are designed to nurture potential, inspire and educate. This exciting collaboration enables us to help children learn about different faiths and is a wonderful way to recognise our very talented customers.

The Creation Station team got to work on developing engaging activities linked to and inspired by Sukhy Kaur's book ‘Is that Paras' Turban?’. 

Raman Dhahan, who runs her own Creation Station franchise, was delighted at the opportunity to be involved in the session plan development. As a Sikh, Raman was able to provide additional insight for the session plan development and testing.  

We are thrilled to announce that ‘Is that Paras' Turban?’ classes are running across the UK during March 2023. 

The classes include lots of creative painting, sorting, matching and collage. Children will not only learn what the turban is, but also why it holds significance for certain religious groups such as Sikhs, who wear it as an essential part of their religious uniform. It is sometimes referred to as Pagri (pronounced pag-e-ree) or Dastaar. Some Muslims groups also wear the turban but this is more for cultural reasons. The classes will also include examples of other headwear from different faiths and cultural groups. 

We asked Sukhy to tell us about herself and the inspiration behind her ‘Is that Paras' Turban?’ 

"I am a mother of one and a primary school teacher with over 15 years of experience in the education sector. I have a real passion to drive children's learning and create further awareness around neurodiversity, especially among ethnic minorities. A volunteer for SHARE charity (Sikh History and Religious Education), I am working to develop mainstream resources to support the growth of equality, diversity and tolerance amongst the growing generations.

Previously I was a Leading Teacher and RE Coordinator at a large school in Hayes, Middx. I currently live in Buckinghamshire with my husband and young toddler. To keep myself working with young people, I provide online English and maths tuition. Aside from this, I enjoy taking my son to baby classes, especially Creation Station ☺. I also practice yoga and am always looking for new ideas to bring learning to life.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I struggled to access my school curriculum but was never diagnosed with any learning difficulty. In addition to these tribulations, I was also bullied for wearing a turban. Much of this discrimination seemed to be down to a lack of awareness rather than anything deeply insidious. I do not want anyone to go through the same experience as me and therefore have been on a personal mission to create resources which have a multi-sensory element (allowing for greater accessibility), but also teach children about different faith articles from a grassroots level.

In late 2022, I worked with SHARE Charity (to produce our first diversity-themed multi-sensory book called ‘Is that Paras’ Turban?’ 

This exciting project has been welcomed by many local authorities and education institutions who are eager to embed greater diversity within their learning resources. 

The book comes with an accompanying lesson plan and a comprehensive bank of resources (accessible via the QR code) so it can be delivered independently with little preparation. It is my hope that this first offering can be used as a force for positive change and we can look to celebrate diversity together."

Read more here  

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