Trees of Hope – British Council Connecting Classrooms Project

Years 1, 2 and 3 spent the day with Denise and Kennedy from Trees of Hope as part of our British Council- Connected Classrooms funded project. Denise/Kennedy started by explaining to the children about the Trees of Hope project and the meaning behind the song/dance we would be learning.

Kennedy explained the song had been passed on from generation to generation and listening to your elders and keeping the songs alive was key. Traditionally, the song would be performed in celebration of the harvest where the dancers would dance bare foot in order to beat the soil and feel connected to the nature. Kennedy also explained how it does not rain for 8 months of the year in Zimbabwe, so the music brings the community together to celebrate/appreciate/give thanks to the harvest and rain.

The children learnt the dance and words to the song, before performing it in assembly.

In the afternoon, the children in Yr 1 & 3 collaborated by watching/listening to the music again before creating interpretive artwork to the music based on the sounds, our feelings and what they had learned from the earlier workshop.