This week in Reception, our young debaters took on an exciting challenge for Debate Week—answering the question: “Are Hansel and Gretel good or bad?”
To explore this, we read an alternative version of the classic tale by Bethan Woollvin, where Hansel and Gretel are mischievous troublemakers! In this version, they cause chaos in Willow the Witch’s home—eating her house, making a mess in her kitchen, casting wild spells (including making her cat ginormous!), and even pushing poor Willow into the oven!
Throughout the week, the children took part in witchy-themed activities, including:
Mask making – creating their own witch and wizard disguises.
Potion mixing – experimenting with magical ingredients.
Witch’s hat decoration – designing their own magical headwear.
Debating and writing their arguments – sharing their views on Hansel and Gretel’s actions.
Here are some of their brilliant thoughts:
“I think Willow is good and Hansel & Gretel are bad because Willow only cooked them as they were mean.” – Noah
“Willow is good and Hansel & Gretel are bad because she made them food.” – Ronnie
“Hansel and Gretel are good because they are children and children make mistakes.” – Ariella
“Hansel and Gretel are bad because they were bad to the cat.” – George
It’s been a fantastic week of storytelling, creativity, and critical thinking! Check out the photos below to see the magic in action!
