In June we had two exciting days with the Rhubarb Theatre.  Pupils explored different books promoting as love of reading and diversity.

The Reception class had a great time during their workshop with Rhubarb Theatre where they performed the Oliver Jeffers book ‘The Way Back Home’. They flew in an aeroplane which crash landed on the moon. They found a surprisingly fluffy alien that was having trouble with his spacecraft. They had to parachute back to Earth to get some tools and then climbed back up to the moon where they repaired both the aeroplane and the spacecraft so everyone could make their way home. The children loved the story so much that we watched it on YouTube when they got back to class!

Pupils in years one to four focused on the book Around the World.  Pupils travelled all around the world. First, the children made a flux capacitor so they could travel back in time. They had to make a boat in small groups to travel all the way to France, where they went to a mime café. Some children were waiters, some were grumpy chefs and the rest were customers. It was a very busy café! Next, they formed a train a travelled to India, where they were part of an Indian Market. Some people were making food, whilst others were the customers and bartered for a price. Finally, in small groups they pretended to be elephants!

Upper Key Stage Two looked at the book: The Arrival by Shaun Tan.

The books explores Immigration.

Pupils started with a silent game where they had to stand in a circle and someone had to stare at another, walk towards them and that person had to move towards someone else etc. all without talking. They had to communicate with their eyes.

They then did a freeze frame to represent family life.

Then the world turned evil and they had to escape the country. The dad leaves to find a safe place to escape to.  He travels on a boat which the children acted out the boat.

He finds himself in a new country where he doesn’t understand the language. Passport control in another language was tricky. Children talked gibberish and had to try get through the scary passport control. 

The dad then enters a strange new world. The country is full of wonder. Children acted out something strange in that country.  The dad struggled to find work and eventually ends up in a factory.  The children passed cloths round in a circle to act out the factory. Working together to go at the same time. 

It was a brilliant way to explore being a refugee; to encourage empathy, understanding of this difficult issue by moving beyond what we see on the news and explore the human response, motivations and need to adapt. 

Children identified the following Articles from the Children's Rights Charter were being denied:

36 – protection from exploitation

22 refugee children

38 protection in war

19 protection from violence

27 food clothing and a safe home

28 access to education

42 everyone to know children's rights