There was no “attitude” from a group of Grade 6 and 7 students as they donned fairy wings and led small groups of primary students – about 400 in all – through a forest full of fairies.
Rather their attitude toward a three-day “Fairy Festival” was “we’re doing it for the kids” explained Julie Wilson, the teacher who organized the event this week - they knew they were creating memories for their young peers at Anderson elementary.
Over three days, groups of five primary students went from station to station in Garden City Park, next to Anderson elementary, and were challenged at each one with a task.
The Grade 6 and 7 French immersion students recited their script at each station, either in French or English, depending on the group.
The primary students carried a basket with the items they collected and there was some jostling among them about who got to carry the basket.
The Fairy Festival – La Fete des fees - at Anderson elementary has been a few months in the making.
The idea for the festival came from Wilson, who did a similar thing with Girl Guides, but she said all the creative ideas and the implementation were done by her students.
The Grade 6 and 7 students created a base story they wanted to tell and designed their station, script and activity.
“This is their baby – it’s all them,” Wilson said, adding “They’ve totally taken on the magic of it all.”
Wilson was amazed at the detailed work the students did, and, because it all had to be on the scale of fairies – such as miniature fruit that measures in millimetres – it was delicate work.
Not only did they design the miniature stations such as a pie shop and a farm, they built the sets and props themselves, using drills and saws.
Wilson said it’s her goal when her students leave her class, they’ve done some sewing, used tools and gotten their hands dirty in a garden.
Many of her students will be going to McRoberts secondary next year where they will do an applied skills rotation.
Because her students have already handled drills and bits and worked on other practical skills, they won’t be going into their tech classes completely green, Wilson said.
