PRIMARY school children have been learning how to tell stories using puppets from their Nepalese visitors.
Badri Baral and Ramesh Shreshta were a huge hit with pupils at Mobberley Primary School when they visited as part of a fledgling link between Mobberley Primary and the visitors’ Nepalese school.
Mobberley teachers Emma Millington and Sarah Franklin visited the Eurokids Dhobighat school in Kathmandu last year with a view to setting up a link between both schools.
Last year's visit to Nepal
The visit proved a great success, and the link is going from strength to strength, with the schools relishing the chance to learn from each other and discovering about their respective cultures.
Eurokids International, launched in 2001, is a leading pre-school education provider and the largest pre-school chain in India.
Badri is the principal of Eurokids Dhobighat, and visited Mobberley with Ramesh, one of the school’s directors.
“They taught our pupils singing and dancing and traditional Nepalese games,” said Emma.
“They also brought some puppets and told the children how they user puppets in Nepal to tell stories.
“We took them to a cricket game, for fish and chips and afternoon tea.
Last year's visit to Nepal
“They were really shocked that our parents come and volunteer their time to help the school, and thought it was fascinating to see how we got parents in to read to the children.”
Emma was inspired to create the link with a school in Nepal because of Mobberley’s link with the country.
Mountaineer George Mallory was born in Mobberley, and took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s.
Last year's visit
During the 1924 expedition Mallory and his climbing partner disappeared, and Mallory’s body was found by an expedition in 1999.
Mobberley Primary received funding from the British Council to establish the link between the schools, and Mobberley fundraised to help towards the visit by Badri and Ramesh.
The school organised a number of events with the aim of raising £500, but such was the level of support that the final total hit £1,500.
Last year's visit
Emma added: “The children were really excited to meet Badri and Ramesh, and it makes it much more real for them now when we talk about the school in Nepal and people in other countries.”
The Nepalese visitors were given numerous leaving gifts, including Manchester United and City scarfs, Manchester Bee coasters and a book about Cheshire, and the pupils have written to the Nepalese school about the visit by Badri and Ramesh.
Gifts from Mobberley pupils
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here