Rainforest Roadshow By Matthew B and Tom K

On Friday 13th January 2012, Rainforest Dave came to our school to give us information about the rainforests of the world. He brought in a few of his favourite creatures to show us what amazing species are out there. This report will tell you of the spectacular day that the Year 6 children of St Barnabas School had.

Dave’s Introduction

Firstly, Dave talked about the journeys he had made to rainforests all over the world. He said his first trip was when he was at the age of 15 with his friends. To make the journey he started saving up money when he was 11. His inspiration for his life’s work was his caterpillars that he bought when he was 10.

Tribal Work

Next, Dave showed us a few of the amazing items some tribes use. There was a jaguar mask, a parrot hat, a baby carrier and a snail shell necklace. He also brought in a blow pipe which was for a child and four metres in length, which he shot a banana with. These items were all made by the astonishing tribes of the rainforest. The people of these tribes have amazing minds with brilliant imagination in them.

‘A Rainforest Adventure’ – The FilmDave’s two girls starred in a video that he made himself. The first chapter of the video he made was about the layers of the rainforest. There were four parts, the roots down on the floor, the growth on the trees, the canopy of leaves above, and the greens of the tallest trees. The film told us about the life on each. The second chapter was about the people of the rainforest. It was really good how they had made instruments to entertain themselves.

The Afternoon

In the afternoon, we had an action-packed, practical session when we did many exciting activities including; sketching the dead creatures, making necklaces, having our face painted using tribal designs and trying Brazilian types of food. The foods turned out to be a lot tastier than they first seemed. Although we had all of these, there was one that was everybody’s favourite…touching the LIVE animals.

Overall, we had a brilliant experience with Dave and have learnt many facts about the rainforests and life that surrounds us. We hope we will see him again one day and see how he is getting on with his work.