Raleigh Infant School and Nursery

Raleigh Infants & Nursery School has a clear relationship with the forest, planted after the First World War. We worked with an artist originally from the Czech Republic, who also had strong connections to the forests of her homeland and who could share stories to do with forest myths. The school was also keen on us making connections to other cultures and emphasizing cultural difference, reflecting the mixed population of Thetford.Children at Raleigh began by showing and discussing their own countryside-related objects, as well as selecting objects from the 'countryside basket'. They also enjoyed studying highly patterned and animal-related objects from rural Papua New Guinea, which led to storytelling in the school's new nature area and other perfomance related activities. The artist initiated a cube-painting exercise, again with storymaking in mind, which was extended in a follow-up visit to coincide with a whole school celebration of dance, song and rural tradition. School website: http://norfolk.schooljotter.com/raleigh