Build a Better World: Africa Order BBW materials onlineVisit Build a Village
Activities Get Acrobat Reader

1. Map Study

Show the children where Africa is on a globe or world map. Then find Kenya from the map (PDF file, 230 kb) on the back of the poster. Invite a child to color in Kenya. Then review all the countries you have learned about over the four sessions.
(Materials: globe or world map, Africa map, crayon)

Mobile2. Mobile

Ask children to create a picture of this story about Kenya and the importance of education for their mobile. As this is the last picture for the mobile, include time for the children to construct their mobiles: tie the four pictures to a wooden embroidery hoop using different lengths of string. Tie three strings equally spaced around the hoop to create a hanger. Move the pictures so the mobile is balanced.
(Materials: embroidery hoop, string or fishing line, mobile pieces for each story)

3. Poster

Look at the poster (PDF file, 525 kb) of Imani's village. Ask your students to find the school. How does this school compare with the one they attend?

4. African Proverb Book

Find Ghana on the map of Africa. This proverb from Ghana supports the education of women and girls: If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family. Discuss the meaning of this proverb with your students. Then, ask your children to write and illustrate the proverb in their booklets. Ask them to add some of their favorite proverbs or sayings on the last page, along with their thoughts/pictures about what they have learned.

5. African Game

The game "Springbok Stalking" is from Botswana. Find Botswana on the map of Africa. A springbok is a gazelle that jumps up high when alarmed. Two children are chosen to be the springbok and the hunter. Both are blindfolded. Everyone else forms a circle and joins hands. The springbok and the hunter are inside the circle. Someone spins the two around several times to disorient them. The watchers snap their fingers as a signal for the hunter to search for the springbok. When the hunter touches the springbok, the watchers snap their fingers again. If after three minutes, the hunter has not found the springbok, time is called and someone else becomes the hunter. (Materials: two blindfolds)

6. Making CWS School Kits

Invite children to decorate pre-made cloth School Kit bags (12" x 14" with a cloth handle and closure - Velcro, snap, or button) with fabric paint or markers. Set them aside to dry. The children can take the bags home with "E-X-T-E-N-D Yourself This Week!" and return them filled with the supplies listed there. Or invite the congregation to contribute to filling the bags. Place the items listed below into the cloth bag. Secure the closure. Plan a time for the children to bring in the completed School Kits, and dedicate them during the mission fair or congregational worship. When the Kits are completed, pack them in a sturdy box. Mark "School Kits" on the outside. Complete the Kits coupon (PDF file, 41kb) and put it in the box. Ship the box to the address on the coupon. Send money for shipping and processing Kits ($2 per Kit) or for purchasing kits ($13 each) to the address on the donation coupon.
(Materials: items for each kit, cloth school bags, fabric paint and brushes or fabric paint in tubes, paint smocks, cardboard carton, sealing tape)

School Kit Contents

  • One pair of blunt scissors (rounded tip)
  • Three 70-count spiral or tape-bound pads of 8" x 10-1/2" ruled paper, for a total of 200-210 sheets of ruled paper. ( Please do not provide loose-leaf or filler paper.)
  • One 30-centimeter ruler (12")
  • One hand-held pencil sharpener
  • Six new pencils with erasers
  • One eraser, 2-1/2"
  • One box of 24 crayons (only 24)
  • One 12" x 14" to 14" x 16" finished size cotton cloth bag with cloth handles

Pack all items inside the cloth bag with a closure (Velcro, snap, or button).

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