[Hmwmzian]

I'm a teacher in a 'high needs' school district (good ol' DC!) and I've considered doing something like this at some point. As you said, it's not about getting kids to go out and join kendo, it's about bringing in a new cultural experience for the kids to see and feel. It's about giving kids exposure to as many new and different things as you can.

The only way I would do it in my school is if I was either able to a) recruit a couple fellow kendoka to come with me so they could demonstrate and model while I talked, and/or b) get the kids out of the school and into a dojo to observe a practice session. I would only do 'b' however once the kids had *some* background info on the sport (info and video exposure).

If you have to do it yourself I'd try to keep it in smaller groups. Brief talk about the history and culture, a little bit of show and tell, and a little comic relief (choose a volunteer to don each piece of equipment as you bring it out to talk about it). Paper mache shinai is a good idea too, though could get messy!!

Who knows how it'll turn out, but it's a great thing to do for those kids and I wish you the best with it. Have fun!!