AFRICA!

We launched straight into our Africa themed week with The Mighty Zulu Nation who inspirited an African heartbeat across the school with their breathtaking performance of traditional Zulu dancing and drumming. They followed this with both dancing and drumming workshops where children were taught vigorous Zulu dances and chants, as well as emotive Zulu songs, and how to accompany these on the djembe drums. In addition to this, the children of THLPS were also introduced to African artist, Anna Katayama, whose spread of African masks sparked intrigue with children from the youngest Reception pupils, to the oldest Year 6. She held mesmerising mask making workshops on how to make African clay masks, exaggerating specific features of the face, depending on the emotion portrayed.  

The atmosphere throughout the week has been energised with pockets of children spontaneously breaking into African songs as they move between lessons around the school.  The Africa theme has been wildly at play during lessons too, rolling out across both the curriculum and whole school with geographical work on the African continent and countries, scientific studies of the animals and habitats, as well as historical investigations into the slave trade and San tribe.   African Arts were a high-spirited highlight and the children certainly saw 'Africa alive' with the range of activities on offer.  Kaleidoscopic designs swiftly flooded the school with our own renditions of vibrant, African, ethnic jewellery, Adinkra, the iconic Ghanaian printed cloth where the symbols all have meanings (these would be different depending on one's status), model Ndebele tribal huts, handmade djembe drums, African clay sculptures, face-painting, as well as some rather sprightly South African 'gumboot dancing'.  Children were given time to explore their own interests, and this led to all manner of collaborative projects, some of which included inspired reflective poetry, Tinga Tinga storytelling, stunning sunset silhouetted scenes and even 7 year-olds campaigning to raise awareness for endangered African species.

We enjoyed a traditional African lunch earlier on in the week and finished off with a whole school collaboration of children lighting group campfires to cook their own African tribal lunches.  In addition to all of this, next week Year 3 are off to London to see The Lion King, which is going to be the basis for our whole school African production at the end of the academic year.  All classes are already starting to learn songs and dances with an African influence in preparation for that.

One teacher said: "This week has been incredible...all the energy, the colour, the passion, the music and song, the fire... oh it's been out of this world!  Another said: "An African Dream of a week!"  

John's favourite part of the week... the fire of course!