A recent workshop series with the grade 7’s and 9-12 year olds showed that imagination thrives in safe spaces and creative expression takes all shapes and forms when given the chance.
Guided by Caro Theron and the team from the Imaginarium Academy the workshop was part of the Creative Arts Programme. It built on the third terms’ Indigenous Character Design project, with learners using their own plant characters as the starting point for a storytelling adventure inspired by The Wise Old Oak.
Through movement, drumming, imaginative prompts and collaborative storytelling, they developed and performed their own quest stories.
Learners listening to the story of the Wise Old Oak
Caro reflects: “One of my favourite moments was when learners were asked to imagine what a flourishing garden might look like and what problems it could solve. Their ideas included talking to bees, leaves turning into clothes and tree roots turning into gold. It was wonderful to see how freely they imagined when there was no expectation of being realistic or getting things “right”. I also loved seeing quieter learners come out of their shells, and participate with such joy.”
Creativity overflowed in unexpected ways from the learners: spontaneously incorporating bird calls into a drum rhythm, embodying a character through distinctive physical movement, and demonstrating technical confidence through watercolour painting. As facilitators broke complex artistic tasks into smaller, manageable steps, hesitation turned into agency.
Malcolm spontaneously incorporated bird calls into his drum rhythm.
Reserved students blossomed with joy, taking active ownership of their creative decisions. This individual growth was deeply sustained by ukama—the relational connectedness and community spirit of the group. As they had to create a shared rhythm and improvise quest stories they were required to listen, adapt, and negotiate roles, together.
Peer leaders provided natural direction, while others offered empathetic support to guide the group through moments of friction. This reminds us that participation is not identical for every learner. Whether taking centre stage or choosing not to perform publicly while remaining meaningfully engaged, every child found a place of belonging within the collective circle.
The learners showing off their acting skills
The Wise Old Oak Workshop revealed that creative confidence and emotional wellbeing are closely intertwined. Gentle structure enabled open-ended play and the facilitators helped learners convert constraints into seeds of agency, connection, and hope.
With limited opportunities to engage in creative activities that nurture the imagination, and in a world where technology often directs attention, the workshop highlighted how difficult it can be for learners to envision something beyond what they already know – to imagine something that does not yet exist, but could.
Over the two days learners built on their previous creative work and discovered just the answers to those questions and by expressing themselves, their ideas came to life.