The day startd off in the hall with Sola leading the rhythmic name game. Everyone takes turns to introduce themselves with each pupil singing, mimicking or whispering their name and then adding a movement which is then repeated by the whole group to a clapping rhythm and chanting rendition of their name.

Working with Viv and Sola, rhythms were played individually and in groups with others clapping to simple patterns.

Viv then showed lengths of cloth and garments from West Africa from the Horniman Museum's handling collection. One of these (Adinkra cloth) had been patterned by a gourd stamp and gourds were featured in the story that Sola then told. This story was called The Woman and The Calabash and the pupils enacted it dressed up in the African clothes.

After this the pupils returned to their classrooms. The Senior Department was split up into three classrooms with different activities carried out in each area. Some pupils heard another story - "How the sun and moon came to live in the sky", they drew pictures about the themes and their favourite instrument, discussed the morning story above, remembered important words and wrote acrostic poems based on the following questions:

What do you like doing, eating?
Who do you like?
What are your favourite things (that make you happy)?
Who are your favourite people?
What are your hidden secrets?

Follow this link to read some of the acrostic poems in the poetry/performance section.

They also learnt, looked at and played different African musical instruments that Viv had brought with her from the Horniman Museum's handling collection and screen printed their introductory day banner.