For several weeks, a middle school group at Shibumi and one at CFL had been reading the classic Totto Chan by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, hoping to write to each other and interact with fellow students from each other’s schools.
After reading a few chapters of the book, the group at CFL received handwritten letters and crossword puzzles based on events in the story, beautifully created by the children at Shibumi. This was the first point of contact between the two groups, and it generated a lot of excitement.
In return, the CFL students worked on paintings depicting moments from the story, which they planned to gift to their buddies at Shibumi. They decided to carry these paintings with them during their visit.
We planned a day trip to Shibumi school, each student carrying their favourite library book. Once there, we immersed ourselves in their routine and got a glimpse of their day. This was followed by library activities, such as:
Agreements for the Library: Two separate sets of chits were given to the Shibumi and CFL students, each containing the name of an author. Two students (one from each school) with the same author were paired as buddies and asked to tour the campus while discussing a book they had both read. During the walk, each student had to come up with one agreement they felt was important for the library. These were later written on a large sheet of paper and shared with the group. The agreements ranged from not eating in the library to not having comics in the library.
Postbox Activity: The next session involved a display of poetry books. The students were asked to find a poem they liked and would like to dedicate to the buddy they had interacted with during the previous activity. They decorated postcards and got creative with the addresses they wrote for each person. Some sent their postcards to the Milky Way, while others addressed theirs to friends they imagined would be found within the pages of a book. The postcards were then placed in a beautifully handmade cardboard postbox. Later, one of the adults at Shibumi opened the postbox and delivered the postcards, highlighting the unique addresses written on them.
Book Introductions: As mentioned earlier, students from both schools had selected their favourite books to share with their new friends. In a short session, each child explained why they had chosen that particular book and why they would recommend it.
Totto Chan Paintings: Finally, the students from CFL shared their paintings with their buddies at Shibumi. This became an interactive activity where the group tried to guess which part of the story each painting depicted.
The day ended up being a rich and meaningful engagement, and a great way for students from different schools to meet. The CFL students had the opportunity to experience a different school environment and observe how we work in similar and different ways. The carefully curated activities, which gradually transitioned from small group to large group interactions, helped the students overcome their initial hesitation.
We ended the day by sitting together for quiet time with the entire school and saying goodbye to our buddies. We were grateful to the students and teachers at Shibumi for organizing such a special day and can’t wait for them to visit our school.
~ Devika and Keerthi
