This week in San Miguel the Education Interns of Kalu Yala helped begin the making of the props and scenery for the 2nd and 3rd grade theatre project. My first instinct was to be afraid because I am not a super creative individual, but with the help of Alida we were led through two successful workdays. The first day involved making three cerditos (pigs) and a lobo (wolf) for the story of “Los Tres Cerditos.” The second day included building three houses for the cerditos and the background scenery for the production.
The construction of each “cerdito” began with the children drawing their version of each pig on a large piece of paper. After, each group received a large balloon that was to be the head of the cerdito. The ears and nose were made out of cardboard and shaped depending on the drawing that each group did. There were some ears that were long and pointy and others that were more round and short. The 3D noses came next; each one was placed on the balloon and then securely duck-taped. Lastly, each group used newspaper strips and began to paper mache either their pig or their wolf. We wanted a thick layer on each animal in order for the group to return later to paint them. Although this got quite a bit messy, it was a huge success.
The following day involved constructing three houses and painting the scenery for the theatre production. Myra and I were in charge of helping the students make the houses while Alida supervised the painting. Each group used the two cardboard boxes to construct the body of the house. The next step was making the roof; the group that I worked with had a specific vision for their house. They used their book that had an image of the third house and decided that was going to be exactly how their house was built. The house included a chimney, a door on the exact side as the picture, and a window on the second floor of their house. All of the houses were constructed to the group’s specifications and were left ready to paint another day.
The best part was the end of the day when discussing our accomplishments with the teacher, he stressed how much the students enjoyed this activity. I believe that all students need to be exposed to the arts. This is important to help the students work in small groups and be proud of their accomplishments. I look forward to seeing the finished product of the theatre production!