June 1: Imagine: Travel Across Sri Lanka by Train!

WIP

Theme: Travel across Sri Lanka by Train
Creative Focus: Storyboarding, movement, visual storytelling
Duration: 1 hour 15 min
Age Group: 5–16 years

Introduction (10 minutes)

Goal:
Understand how to use imagination and storytelling to create a visual train journey through Sri Lanka’s diverse landscapes.

Story Kickoff:

“Imagine you’re on a train traveling across the whole of Sri Lanka. Out your window, the world keeps changing—tea hills in the highlands, monkeys in the jungle, fishermen on the coast. Each window has its own story. Today, you’ll draw your own view from that window and help build one big journey for everyone.”

Discussion Prompts:

• What do you see when you ride a train?

• How is traveling by train different from other ways of traveling?

• What parts of Sri Lanka would you love to see (from a train window)?

Icebreaker (5 minutes)

Game: “Train Ride Adventure”
Kids stand in a line like train carriages. Teacher calls out actions:

• “Tunnel!” → Duck

1. “Hill!” → Lean back

2. “Rain!” → Hands over head

3. “Jungle!” → Arms out like trees

4. “Elephant crossing!” → Freeze

5. End with everyone sitting in a “train seat,” ready to begin imagining their journey.

You will need:

1. x

2. x

3. x

4. x

Guide

Step 1: Visualization and Group Planning (10 minutes)

Inspiration:
Show visuals of:

• Sri Lankan train rides (e.g., Ella to Kandy) (video 2)

• Videos or photos of scenery: tea plantations, villages, stations, beaches (video 1)

Step 2: Each child gets a template shaped like a train window (landscape rectangle).

• Brainstorm: What could your scene show?
  → A village? A herd of cows? A waterfall?
  

Sketch ideas and lightly draw with a pencil first.

Step 3: x

Step 4: x

Here’s some inspiration: