‘OUR MOST FAVOURITE BOOK FEST’
At Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival kids become mathematicians, actors, cooks and what not
Youngsters on the irst day of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival have been learning that mathematics is more than a numbers game, as they faced some tough problem-solving challenges in a ‘Mathnasium’ workshop.
The children, aged between six and ten years old, were given a series of logic and arithmetic papers to test their mental maths agility and some valuable advice on how to use it in their day-to-day lives.
Managing the workshop, Earland Perito from the Uae-based Mathnasium learning centre, used matchsticks, magic squares and ‘Kidoku’ to help the would-be Einsteins understand the value of numbers and the tips and tricks of calculation.
“Mathematics is a subject which some children may be a little wary of, but in this workshop, we try to show them that there is no reason to be daunted and maths can actually be fun as well as rewarding.”
The festival’s events span several programmes, under the main themes of Kids Activities, Cultural Programmes, Cultural Café, Kids’ Creative Café, Social Media Café and Cookery Corner. SCRF 2018 also features a series of international theatrical performances like ‘Tuta and Monkey Cheetah’, and the ‘Island of Kids’ Area’ that combine education, fun and entertainment to highlight the values of honesty to young visitors.
A prime highlight of the festival this year is its irst ever 3D Book Exhibition, featuring 250 pop-up books from the 3D Book Centre in Forli, Italy. The books have been handpicked by the exhibition curators to represent eight different periods of time. One of SCRF’S mainstays, the Sharjah Exhibition for Children’s Books Illustrations, is featuring 355 artworks by 104 illustrators from 32 countries this year.
LET’S ACT!
Children aged six to 12 were given the opportunity to learn about themselves through different acting techniques during a workshop at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival on Wednesday, according to WAM.
“Play the Game” focused on theatrical games and the basic rules of Chekhov’s special techniques, movement, concentration, imagination, gestures and communication.
“When children act, they don’t think the same way as adults,” said Ulrich Meyer-horsch, an acting teacher from Hamburg, who is a part of the Michael Chekhov Europe Training. “We play a lot of games but always having in mind the basic principles of stage and theatre, which are included in the games.”
The aim of the workshop was for children to discover the connection between inner images, emotional honesty and their creative abilities. “It drives imagination and creativity, which is one of the basic tools in acting, theatre and the arts,” Meyer-horsch said.
“I decided to do this because I love working with kids,” said Yi-fu Cheng, who has been working in children’s theatre in Taiwan for more than 10 years.
“I really love to deal with kids or teenagers. I ind that kids have more creativity than adults and they constantly recreate themselves into things I sometimes wouldn’t even think about.”
The festival has been developing the knowledge of children in the UAE, expanding their intellect and fostering their skills through its rich array of cultural, health and awareness events along with art, entertainment shows and sporting activities.