What is a Galimoto?

What is a Galimoto?

 

“You never know what they’re going to notice,” says Adventurers Room Teacher Denielle Hill. While a small group of students were in the hallway having lunch with Denielle recently, one student looked up and asked, “What’s that?” and pointed to a small sculpture on the wall. The student was pointing to a galimoto. Made by children in Africa, galimotos are toys made from recycled wire and other materials. The word galimoto means “car” in Chichewa, the official language of Malawi.

 

This student’s question prompted the Adventurers Room teachers to plan a series of lessons around galimotos. The children learned about the continent of Africa, where Malawi is on a map, how recycled materials are used to make the toys, and viewed videos and photos of the toys in use and being made. Then, they read the book Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams about a Malawian boy who is determined to make the toy despite facing some challenges.

 

When the children looked at how the galimotos on the wall worked, they became fascinated by the mechanics. They saw the turning of the wheels made the legs move when pushing the toy. They wanted to make their own, so Art Teacher Mario Argueta to help them. Children learned how to manipulate wire to make a shape, working on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. A simple task such as taking two fingers to wrap the wire with yarn challenges the children’s focus and concentration Denielle noted.

 

“With emergent curriculum, we learn just as much as they do,” says Denielle. “It only takes one person to spark the interest in many.”