#babishaipoetricks Training of Trainers at Big Bear Kindergarten, Kampala

On 9th June, the first Training of Trainers of the #babishaipoetricks children’s adventure toolkit took place. Our hosts, Big Bear Kindergarten in Kampala, were absolutely thrilled at the opportunity. There were four trainees namely Teacher Joyce the proprietor, Teacher Rinju the Director, Teacher Nakiganda the Headmistress and Teacher Diana a teacher. The objectives of the training were to share skills from the toolkit on how to guide children into understanding and appreciating #babishaipoetricks. The Babishai Poetricks toolkit is an experience for children aged 4 to 11 years. In it are eleven adventures which aim to instill life-skills, sharpen observation skills, creatively engage a child to interact, listen, speak from the heart, use images to relate and become introspective. The training covered three of the eleven adventures.

In the first adventure, the trainees drew pictures of their faces, allowing others to describe what they saw. Through this, we are able to see ourselves in other people’s eyes and also analyse how we see ourselves. Children will most likely laugh at the funny shaped noses and mouths but the trainers should use that for children to appreciate their own looks. By doing that, the creative space opens up for them, along with their confidence. The pictures turned out hilarious but on a deeper level, reflected a lot about the personalities that day.

Next, we matched moods to colours. Interestingly, while black was considered sorrowful, it was also considered adventurous. You see, in this toolkit there is no wrong answer. Instead, children are encouraged to articulate, analyse and reflect. An adventure may either take 1 hour or 1 week, depending on the group dynamics. That is what #babishaioetricks is about. It’s an experience.

When it came to tackling the five senses, we had to end there because our 2 hours were up. There are many uses of the mouth and nose that many people are unaware of. It was a true life-changing training.

Testimonials

Teacher Rinju, Director of Big Bear Kindergarten:

“This training of training was extremely helpful, practical, very interactive and enables children to really think.”

Teacher Joyce, Proprietor of Big Bear Kindergarten:

“This is so important because it helps teachers to learn various adaptations to use in their classroom exercises. It is so much broader than what our teacher-centered system provides. It’s a true experience.

 

These are the first certified Babishai Poetricks trainers. We look forward to training more trainers.

Note:

Training of Trainers are currently taking place in Uganda, after which we will branch to Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa. In order to train from this toolkit, you must be certified. The Trainer fee is 50 USD per individual and takes from 2 to 3 hours. There are packages for schools as well. Join us and become certified.