The U.S. presidential election has shown just how divisive unequal access to education is to a society. People are scratching their heads, looking for an answer to how a man like Trump could even be on the ballot, let alone a serious contender. Research shows that one of the most significant factors is level of …
For me, one of the most important aims for our school is to help children develop a love of reading. I know that this is an issue for schools and parents all over the world. There are many reasons why inspiring children to read can be difficult, but imagine what it must be like for …
Visiting the source of the Ngare Ndare. The river that, eventually, runs past our school.
Some of the children have been making benches to go outside the new kitchen. This was their first attempt at such a thing and amazingly nobody sawed off a finger or even smashed a thumb with a hammer (like I always do!) They used left overs from the building of the kitchen, left over wood, …
In the western world, one of a child’s first art experiences is a box of brightly coloured water paints. Newspaper spread on the table, a cup of water (always a dirty black within minutes, regardless of the colours used) and a paintbrush. Three and four year olds ensure that as much paint gets on everything …
We have many brightly coloured birds around the school, but this one takes some beating.
Olng’arua means ‘marsh’ in the Maa language. The school has that name because it is beside a marsh area that is fed by a spring (hence our year round green football field). The marsh is very important to the local people, who rely on it for water and grazing in the long dry season. It …
Once upon a time Olng’aura School got a surprise visit from children’s author and illustrator Daniel Kirk. It was the first time the children had ever met a real author. It was also the first time they realised that you could, if you wanted, grow up to be someone who writes books for a living, …
As well as the Library Mouse series Danial Kirk also sent lots of beautiful story books for younger children. The Squirrels and the Rhinos were delighted. We don’t have very many books and Danial Kirk’s delivery quadrupled the number of story books they have. Now there are new stories to read and new pictures to …