School #4 - We are starting to get the hang of this....

Our last school of the day was N'Gombe.  We have monitored and adjusted the lessons from the last few days and were ready for action.  We decided to "divide and conquer" - Carol and Suzanne went into the classroom and did yarn art with a group.  We went to the "library" where the children were brought to us.  

Rule #1 of the Library:  Do Not Touch the Walls!  (turns out they are the only walls painted in the entire school).  The teacher came in and rolled out two large grass mats and the students entered and sat around the edges.  They made mosaic necklaces, it is so nice to give kids something that they can take home - even it they take it apart and sell off the pieces.

Since we had some extra time, we decided to go through our repertoire of songs - "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" was a big hit and a great workout!  Then we had the children teach us...we are really getting the hang of some of the African songs.  Some children sang songs, recited poems and a couple did a little booty shaking! 

Next, Kevin suggested we play "Simon Says"....I think Kevin likes to set us up and watch us roll....so first we had to explain the game.  We had two "shepherds" (older kids) helping us, she translated my English into "English with an accent" - we all laughed, but the kids understood!  A hilarious game of Simon Says ensued - and again, I got a great workout.  

We moved the activities into a crowded classroom, where Simon Says could result in physical injuries.   One boy did end up crying, but that was a little scrum with a neighbor (I have caused many a scrum here!).  We brought the last 4 kids to the front of the room and crowned a winner.