Let me take you on a fun and magically wacky trip.

The magic comes with the fact there is no need to pack your bags, deal with airport security and you can travel halfway around the world and back in the space of two hours.

Intrigued? Join me.

Before we start you need to fill in your magical passport with all the important information – name, age, favourite colour and favourite number.

Next, check your boarding pass for accuracy then hop into your seat and get ready for a fun adventure.

Today you’ll be travelling with Wacky Airlines.

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tami and I’m your chief flight attendant.

On behalf of Captain Wacky and the entire crew, welcome aboard Flight WW017, non-stop service from the Wacky Workshops studio.

As this is a magical journey, there is no need to take you through the safety procedures. Please ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position and that your seat belt is correctly fastened. Thank you.

At this time we’d like you to close your eyes and imagine yourselves flying high above the clouds, You will know you’ve reached our destination when you hear foreign music – it will be the traditional music of the country we are visiting.

FUN AND MAGICALLY WACKY TRIP – FIRST STOP AFRICA

Can you hear that music? It’s the traditional music of Africa and that is the first country we are visiting today.

Africa is the world’s second-largest continent (a large, continuous mass of land), after Asia.

There are 54 countries in Africa. More than 2000 recognised languages are spoken on the continent.

It is the hottest continent in the world and the second driest (after Australia).

Africa is host to the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, which is bigger than continental USA.

It also hosts the world’s longest river, the Nile (a total length of 6,650 kilometres).

It is also home to some of the coolest creatures, such as the world’s largest land animal, the African elephant. This amazing creature can weigh up to seven tonnes.

And the world’s tallest animal – can you guess what that is? A giraffe can grow as tall as six metres.

The world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah, also lives in Africa and the continent’s jungles are home to the world’s largest primates – gorillas.

AN AFRICAN ANIMAL COLLAGE

You can create a beautiful African animal collage, using cut out pictures from magazines and animal shape cut-outs.

MAKING MASKS

An important part of African culture is their use of masks in rituals and ceremonies. African masks are highly sought after by art collectors. They are considered among the finest creations in the art world.

It is believed the earliest masks were used in Africa before the Palaeolithic era.

They often represent the spirit of animals, ancestors or mythological creatures. They are made from wood, pottery, textiles, copper and bronze.

Today we are visiting a mask-making centre where you can create your own mask. You will notice the mask shape, oval like a human head, has already been cut out for you from cardboard. Your mission is to decorate this, using markers, crayons, cut up cardboard and paper, wool, feathers and anything else you can think of.

CREATING ADINKRA DESIGNS

At our next stop, you will create an Adinkra design like those made by the people in Ghana.

Adinkra clothes were traditionally worn by royalty and spiritual leaders during special occasions.

Adinkra cloth is stamped and patterned with traditional symbols that each have their own meaning. People in Ghana decorate the cloth by using a black dye made of bark.

They draw lines on the cloth to divide it into squares. Next, they carve symbols into calabash gourds, press the gourds into the dye, and stamp the symbols onto the fabric.

You can use a plastic fork, dipped in paint, to make the black grid lines and form a square.

Then carve out the shape of your choice from a potato, dip it in paint, and stamp that into the middle of your square.

Once you’ve finished your design it’s time to go back to your seat on the Wacky plane as we are visiting another country today.

Please stow your artwork and information about Africa in the overhead compartment and then strap yourself in.

FUN AND MAGICALLY WACKY TRIP – NEXT STOP CHINA

Close your eyes until you hear the next foreign music.

This is traditional Chinese music and the country we are visiting is China.

China is the third-largest country in the world and belongs to the largest continent. Do you remember what continent that is? If you answered Asia, you are right.

China has the largest population in the world. It is officially known as the People’s Republic of China.

The capital city is Beijing.

About one-third of China’s landmass is made up of mountains. The world’s highest mountain – Mount Everest – sits on the border between China and Nepal.

China has thousands of rivers. The two main rivers are the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the third-longest river in the world. The Giant Panda is found near the Yangtze River.

China is also home to the largest man-made structure in the world, The Great Wall of China, which stretches an amazing 8,850 kilometres (5,500 miles). The mortar used to bind the Great Wall’s stones was made with sticky rice!

FUN AND MAGICALLY WACKY TRIP TRIVIA

• Every year is represented by one of 12 animals in China. Do you know which animal year you were born in?
• People race boats with dragon designs at a Chinese festival in the spring.
• 7th-century Emperor Tang of Shang had 94 ‘ice men’ who made him ice-cream. How cool is that?

The ancient Chinese invented paper, the magnetic compass, printing, tea, porcelain, silk and gunpowder, among other things.

Arts and crafts have a long history in China. The Chinese were among the first to use silk, jade, bronze, wood and paper to make art.

The ancient Chinese art of tangram puzzles is a popular mathematical problem-solving activity,

Also known as the ‘seven pieces of cleverness’, the tangram puzzle consists of seven geometric pieces which normally form a square.

The pieces, called ‘tans’, are used to create different patterns.

Can you make your own tangram puzzle?

CREATING A CHINESE RATTLE DRUM

Music has a long history in China too. Drums were seen as powerful magic weapons and used in battle in ancient China.

The Chinese rattle drum is one of the oldest styles of toys in China.

Today you are going to make our own using a CD, a wooden stick, four beads and two pieces of string. Tie the beads to each end of your string. Use sticky tape to attach the middle of your two strings to the back of your CD. Use some more sticky tape to attach the wooden stick to the back of your CD. Decorate the front of your CD with colourful glitter paint. When it is dry you can play the rattle drum by rubbing the stick quickly between your two hands so that the beads hit the CD.

CREATING A TERRACOTTA SOLDIER

The Terracotta Army consists of thousands of life-size models representing an army to guard the tomb of China’s First Emperor. The site includes soldiers, horses and chariots. Separate parts of each statue were moulded out of clay and then they were fired, assembled and painted.

The site had lain underground for more than 2000 years. Then, in 1974, farmers digging a well uncovered the army. It is one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world.

It took around 37 years to make the Terracotta Army. Today we have less time but you can use air dry clay to make your own terracotta soldier.

Ok, it’s time to return to the Wacky Workshops studio, so gather your China information packs and artworks and hop back into your seat. Close your eyes, click your fingers and we are back. It’s a great way to travel, don’t you think?

I hope you enjoyed flying with Wacky Airlines today.

Aside from gaining all the benefits of creativity on this fun and magically wacky trip,  you learned about different cultures, which helps to expand your mind.

Our next flight takes off during term III when we will have new adventures in different countries. You can learn more and find out how to book your seat by visiting The Wacky Workshops Page.

Have a creative and gleeful week, Tamuria