BRAZILIAN marshal arts and tribal games from the islands of Papua New Guinea are not exactly regular staples of the national curriculum. But last Tuesday was no ordinary day at Robert Clack School in Dagenham. Maths teacher Luka Radovic organised a health

BRAZILIAN marshal arts and tribal games from the islands of Papua New Guinea are not exactly regular staples of the national curriculum.

But last Tuesday was no ordinary day at Robert Clack School in Dagenham.

Maths teacher Luka Radovic organised a healthy living day to teach children about the benefits of an active lifestyle.

A range of workshops, talks and demonstrations were held to inspire the youngsters to try a new outlook on life.

First up was a demonstration of Capoeira, a stunning mixture of dance and marshal art which originated among slaves and native Indians in Brazil.

The group, who featured in a BBC television trailer, wowed the school with their acrobatics and later gave beginners' classes to small classes.

Addressing the assembly was Satish Kumar, who famously left his village in rural India without a penny in his pocket and set out on a peace walk in 1962.

Along with a companion he walked to the capital cities of what were then the world's four nuclear capitals, Moscow, Paris, London and Washington.

Since then he has settled in England and become a world renowned ecologist.

Rajko Radovic, brother of the organiser, then told pupils about his experiences as a contestant on the TV show Last Man Standing.

He toured the world for the programme trying out demanding sports and rituals of indigenous tribes.

Later in the day he and Richard Massey, another Last Man Standing contestant, demonstrated a game from Papua New Guinea loosely based on our own summer sport.

Luka Radovic said: "Missionaries brought cricket there in the 1800s but the natives made it their own by introducing their own tribal dances and customs.

"There's no limit to the number of fielders you can have and they hide the ball so the other team don't know who's got it."

Other events throughout the day included healthy cooking lessons, yoga, boxing fitness and dodge ball.

Mr Radovic added: "There was a real buzz about the place. Some of the kids are still talking about how much they enjoyed it.