Elephants and rhinos are some of the world's most beloved animals but, unfortunately, endangered due to poaching and habitat destruction, so my focus this week was to teach nursery children about 'Tusks'.
The little ones found delight in colouring in the animal sketches I'd drawn whilst they learnt about how, and where, these remarkable creatures live. We also chatted about how if people take away their precious tusks, these beautiful animals won't be here for much longer.
Towards the end of the session, one child came back and presented me with a toy elephant and a toy rhino, and then went on to show me another toy Dinosaur. It was an uncanny metaphor for a four-year-old, but smart because extinction is what we're trying to avoid for elephants and rhinos.
The owl was simply an additional sketch because a child requested it, and we all know that four-year-olds tend to go off-piste at times. It was, however, in keeping with animal conservation because some owl species are endangered, and I preferred to choose that to sketch, rather than a slug; another requested contender.
Thank you very much for having me again Mad Hatter's; we had a wonderful, engaging and comical morning.
This piece has also been featured on Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots website.
