Wow! We can’t believe October is over and that we have already completed two workshops at elementary schools in Tuscaloosa. Earlier this month, we had around 70 students at Matthews Elementary participate in a busy beavers workshop. The fourth graders learned about beaver biology and river ecosystems, specifically about the effects dams have in the environment. Everyone had to think like beavers to build working dams. In groups of four, the students made many successful dams using sticks, mud, clay and rocks, which was very messy but very fun.

We also had a great theater-focused workshop at Matthews Elementary. Four ARTS volunteers visited the school and played role-playing and improvisation games with around 60 elementary school students. This allowed the students to pretend to be in various scenarios, like a penguin dancing in outer space, or like a zombie underwater. We also played an intense game of “Simon Says” and concluded the workshop with a Q&A session about different theater-related topics. The students were very interested and engaged throughout the workshop and they had some great questions.

We had a great time working with these students, and will be hosting more workshops throughout the semester. Please continue to visit our website for the latest updates, and contact us if you are interested in volunteering or hosting your own workshop. Happy November!

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