Latifa School for Girls took 38 year six Emirati girls to Wafi for a day of fun packed activities as part of their studies of Ancient Egypt and other schools are invited to follow suit.
Each year Mrs Dani Guscott, head of upper school, and her team take the mainly eleven year old pupil around the Egypt-themed grounds and Arabian souk, setting them tasks in order to absorb facts about the historic civilisation.
The pupils learned to write their names in hieroglyphics and were told the story of Tutankhamen under the shadow of the giant Wafi pyramids. They also sketched the various replica statues, waterwheels, fountains and artworks, culminating in a detective-type investigation to solve a puzzle involving the various things they have learnt.
Pupil, Alia Y, says: “We come to Wafi’s Encounter Zone every week to play and just hang around, but this is the first time we’ve taken part in Egyptian activities and hadn’t noticed all the icons in and around the buildings. I really enjoyed learning to write my name in hieroglyphics. Painting the statues, fountains and waterwheel has been a lot of fun too. They are very realistic and large, making us feel very small as we sketch them.”
Mrs Guscott says: “We have been bringing Year Six to Wafi for five years now and do the same activities every year. It seems there’s more added to the Wafi complex for them to see every time we come and this experience really kicks off the topic. It’s also important to get the group of girls out into the community and interacting with different cultures.
“With the girls being Emirati, ancient Egypt is simply not a part of their culture and, out of the 38, only five had visited Cairo. Today seven girls have said they will ask their parents to take them to Egypt to learn more, which is wonderful to hear.”
Aser al Baseer, Wafi’s PR and communications manager, says: “We welcome these young scholars here and provide a room in order to make the day as comfortable and effective as possible. It’s really great to see the young ladies working and learning about Egypt around our grounds and we would love to see it continue for many years to come. We are also pleased to hear from any other schools who would like to bring lessons on Egyptian civilisation to life here at Wafi.”
With over 350 stores Wafi is the 2008 winner of Best Shopping Mall, Best Restaurant, Best New Hotel, Best Spa and Best Independent Boutique and boasts one of Dubai’s largest souks, world-class shopping and fine dining in the heart of Dubai.
