This week we looked at traditional African Uganda houses. We watched videos and explored various photographs. Some of our pupils had asked how do people and animals survive such hot weather in Africa? So this week, we learned that Elephants keep themselves from being burnt by throwing mud on their backs and we learned about how the make-up of traditional African houses results in natural "air conditioning". It keeps them warm in winter and cool in summer. We learned that they add wheat and straw to the mud or clay to keep their walls stabilized. The mixture is then formed into tiny mouldable bricks to build the round house. Lastly, the roof had to be thatched. So one of our pupils generously brought in some hay so we could add it to our mud and to the mud house rooves.
Have a look at some of the model mud houses we made up in the Thomas Trail today. Lots of great teamwork was displayed.
Pupils explored how they needed sticks on their rooves first before they added the hay as they learned that putting the hay on first resulted in the hay falling down into the middle of the house. Others had a go at mixing the mud, straw, bark and water to make "cement" in a cement mixer.
