May 27, 2015
Last week we had the pleasure of visiting Little London Community Primary School in Leeds to pilot our brand new Junk Funk and Scrap Rap workshop. This pilot kicked off the first of many interactive sessions designed to encourage our young people not to litter and to highlight the importance of recycling. Together with our partners at Rock School UK, we had the best time making lots of noise with Year 5 and 6.
With all kinds of ‘junk’ in our big, green bins (or ‘bass drums’ as we like to think of them!), our pupils delved into a world of music that is quite literally all around them. Buckets, old baking trays and even stepladders were put to great use as our pupils learnt all about the importance of caring for the local environment.
We didn’t stop there! Hard hats on and high-vis jackets at the ready, we learnt how to think outside the box and work together as a team to create a rapping orchestra without instruments. We filled the playground (and the streets around us) with our funky, recycling sounds:
“Junk Funk and Scrap Raps! The rhythm with tin cans! Step ladders and buckets! So funky, we bring that!”
Alongside watching all of the children grinning and beating on old frying pans, I had the pleasure of chatting to the teachers. The school has a wonderful multicultural spirit as it encompasses over 60 different first languages. Mrs Illingworth pointed out two of their new non-English speaking pupils that had been struggling to participate in school activities. These two young girls were completely immersed in the experience, drumming on tin cans and shaking rice-filled, recycled plastic bottles with big smiles on their faces. It is such a pleasure to see moments like this happen, and so rewarding for us to know that this visual, inclusive, musical form of creative education has no barriers.
We believe that the arts and creativity are some of the best and most interactive ways to inspire our young people to dispose of waste responsibly, and to continue to follow the anti-littering ethos as they grow into marvellously well-rounded adults.
So, it’s all about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle here at One Day this Summer. Please join us!
“Be the change you wish to see in this world.” –Gandhi
Lauren and the One Day Team x