Sponge fruits 1

During the past eleven months a number of blog readers have generously contributed to provide books and materials for children in the special education schools in Guyana.
Books have been bought at the Guyana Book Foundation, a charitable trust dedicated to the memory of a Guyanese teacher and campaigner, Olga Bone. The inscription on the wall next to the entrance reads:
"If children cannot learn the way they are taught, then we must teach them the way they can learn."
This message summarises not just good Special Educational Needs teaching but all teaching.(Mr Gove take note!)

In addition to supplying each school with much welcome pencils, crayons, practical literacy and numeracy materials I arranged for a quantity of "sponge fruits" to be made and shared out. These could then be used creatively by teachers.

The "fruits" are made by young people in a craft work shop at the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre education section. Here, a dozen young people between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one spend one day per week making decorative items for the various festive occasions in the year, supported by two teachers and parent volunteers. The workshop funds itself through selling all items made.

The template for star fruit or carambola-known here as five-finger- is drawn onto the sponge.

Sheets of foam sponge are sprayed bright colours-and happily, this can be done outside the open walled classroom in the yard.
When they are dried, stencils are used to cut out the basic fruit shapes.
The young people take part in each stage, according to their abilities, while the local radio station maintains a cheery background noise.

The five- finger fruit is pulled into shape before glue is applied. 

The cut out sponge is then shaped, and held into position using a combination of glue, (using a small glue gun) and stitching.
Final details are added with indelible marker pens.

A slice of water melon awaits the felt pen marks to denote the seeds.

Having travelled away from Georgetown and into the interior of Guyana, I know that such craft activities can only happen here in the capital where (expensive) imported materials- foam sponge, cans of spray paint, craft glue guns, heavy duty scissors, marker pens- are available.