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Kamishibai (紙芝居) & origami (折り紙): a winning, all-inclusive combination for local Special Needs pupils

Posted on 28 November 2024

Following the storytelling & origami session Géraldine Enjelvin, Yumi Nixon and Ulrike Wray successfully presented for York Cares at the June 2024 edition of York Festival of Ideas, the charity approached them again in September:

I wanted to get back in touch after the brilliant Festival of Ideas event you ran back in June. I have a small group of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) pupils at Carr Junior school whose teacher would love to have a similar session for their students.

As a result, on 18 November 2024, a small group of SEND pupils saw a “butai” (wooden stage) for the first time in their lives; whilst listening to, and watching, a Kamishibai story about a paper boat, they learnt a few colours in French, German, Japanese, then in British and Makaton sign languages. They also practised saying 1,2,3 in Japanese (these numbers sound like “itchy”, “knee” and “sun", which greatly facilitated memorisation). 

Yumi & Ulrike (photos taken on 18/11/24)

The pupils watched Ulrike’s demonstration so as to make their own paper boats themselves and they all thought it was “pure magic” when Yumi turned a square piece of paper into … a paper fish. 

All the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the one-hour interactive session and they all loved the 3 colourful origami figures Géraldine, Yumi and Ulrike had made for each of them: a butterfly, a fish and a boat.

In brief, merging kamishibai with origami is truly for all: inclusive, engaging, colourful & tactile fun!

Géraldine (photo taken on 18/11/24)