We always look forward to October at Bangers & Smash because it's Black History Month!

This year, we've had a blast singing and sharing songs and stories from Africa and the Caribbean while thinking about The Skin You Live In. This beautifully illustrated book uses sumptuous language and imagery to celebrate skin colour:

your coffee and cream skin, your warm cocoa dream skin, your chocolate chip, double dip, sundae supreme skin
your marshmallow treat skin, your spun sugar sweet skin, your cherry topped, candy dropped, frosting complete skin
your butterscotch gold skin, your lemon tart bold skin, your mountain high, apple pie, cookie dough rolled skin

The children have enjoyed looking at their own and their friends' skin while singing and dancing to Brown Girl in the Ring in a circle.

Black and Brown staff members at regular Bangers & Smash nurseries have shared songs and stories from their childhoods and heritages.

Thanks to the following:

Vinette and Israel for Go Down Emmanuel Road, a Jamaican song about passing stones around a circle
Elizabeth for Nzama, a Malawian song about some tasty beans
Ronke and Yemi for Labe Igi Orombo, a Nigerian song in the Yoruba language about playing under an orange tree
Juliet and Nkechi for O Kereke, a Nigerian song in the Igbo language about passing stones around a circle
Elizabeth for Benyi Ni Biti, a Ghanaian song about a man who plays a drum

Thanks also to Drums for Schools for their wonderful Nursery Rhythm Kit which we've used to accompany all the above songs throughout the month. The children have loved choosing their own instruments and using them to keep a pulse and join in with simple repeating rhythms.

We've also enjoyed dancing to Get Up, Edina by Desmond Dekker and Young, Gifted & Black by Bob & Marcia.

Israel said:

'Kitty has shown so much interest during Black History Month. She has done her research and got music from Africa and Jamaica. Kitty has raised an awareness to brown and chocolate skin children, how talented and beautiful they are.'