Children happy to find a new world outside classrooms
sharjah — Did you know the human brain weighs about 1.4kg? Or that a single neuron may send as many as 1,000 signals to the brain each second, reaching speeds of up to 400kmph? Pretty impressive, right?
That’s what 13-year-old Saif Khalid from Al Remah School in Al Ain learnt during his visit to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival.
“I read that the human brain also contains as many as 100 billion neurons. If I didn’t come to the festival, I wouldn’t have learnt that. It’s good that we are being encouraged to read more,” he told Khaleej Times.
Hundreds of school children descended on the festival on Monday during its last week, and the exhibits all had one common theme — they encouraged children to work for their knowledge.
Take the ‘Social Media Café’ for instance. With a large model car racing track on site, students were invited to race against each other, but they had to race with a difference.
For a chance at winning, students had to climb on board an exercise bike and pedal their way to victory. And when Khaleej Times had a go, it was the student who reigned victorious.
“We put this together because we want to show kids that working for something is worth the effort,” Omar Al Obaidli, Host of the Creative Kids Café told Khaleej Times.
“We want to encourage children to pursue their passions by taking part in workshops. That’s what they’re here for. Whether it be writing, reading, acting or singing, we want to support these children in everything they do,” he said.
But 13-year-old bookworm Mariam Abdulla, from Al Resalah International School of Science, said she needs little in the way of encouragement when it comes to reading.
“I’ve actually read two books in one day before. I do that a lot because I think it’s important for children to read. It allows you to fill your head with knowledge. It gives you a clearer insight of what your passions are too.”
Visiting the festivals to buy books and interact with the exhibits, Abdulla told Khaleej Times she already purchased “five books in just a few hours”, all of which she’s excited to start reading.
“I would actually consider reading to be my talent. It’s one of my favourite hobbies. I read in both Arabic and English too. When it comes to genres, anything goes, I like to keep an open mind.”
kelly@khaleejtimes.com