Skal vi til en skovtur sammen? Shall we go for a picnic together? (Part 2)
Jelling skovtur!
The next day it was the Jelling children’s turn to picnic. We were looking forward to seeing the children from the Røde Kors again. This time, five members of Jelling Friskolen joined the group with their teacher Nanne.
We started with the picnic, realising humorously how shop-bought hummus from Denmark is a world apart from the amazing and tasty one coming from the middle east! The chit-chat was really fun and cosy, and we soon began to draw our favourite food on the white tablecloths we were sitting on. Massive amounts of pizza, ice-cream, coke and chips covered the white blankets. All the kids took inspiration from each other, showing that the passion for the food in itself is just secondary to the pleasure of sharing the same kind of meal with friends. The type of food chosen was, what we called ’community’ food – food usually consumed during birthday parties, or when hanging out with friends.
The picnic activity was not really about having food to eat, but about using the food as a connecting and binding link between the people around the blanket, who could then add drawn items from their home country -such as kebab or fish and chips- to mix with items found in Denmark.
Is ‘Belonging’ about contributing with ideas from our backgrounds, to the new place we move to? Is it about feeling so comfortable that we can add the best things about our lifestyles to our new lives in the new place? Or is ‘Belonging’ about forging a new identity, enriched by the meeting of new friends?
The children had the chance to explore those issues in a practical way, biting carrot snacks while discussing how to draw falafel and cupcakes, sharing the colourful pens with a neighbour nearby.
After the break it was time for decorating crockery! Lots of cats, lions and butterflies, flowers and football teams reflected the children’s passions and interests. We admired the beautiful combination of artistic colours and items which made up a full tea-set! In this part of the workshop we noticed with pleasure the organic mixing up of the children from the two schools, exchanging ideas and compliments. Creativity and making opened the floor for a space of shared experiences, allowing the kids to go beyond the diffidence and shyness characteristic of their first encounters.
The last phase of the workshop consisted of talking about our creations. The more we get together, the more we get the chance to know each other a little bit more, feeling more connected and more friendships are forged!
Looking forward the next workshops!!
…And “Tak for mad!”