SCRF: PERFECT PLATFORM TO ENRICH YOUNG MINDS
The 11-day Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2018) that was opened on Wednesday by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, offers a fabulous platform for young ones to enrich their minds with knowledge and wisdom. In fact, the event is a cultural celebration that attracts not only children, but also extends the joy of learning to parents and adults in a family-friendly atmosphere.
By encouraging learning from a young age, the SCRF helps raise a generation of leaders, scholars and professionals who can contribute productively to the development of their society.
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 exhibition curators have handpicked the books in such a way that they 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.
The diverse range of topics covered is what makes the show a hit. For Example, on THE irst DAY, CHILDREN learnt that MATHEMATICS is more than a numbers game, as they faced some tough problemsolving CHALLENGES In A “Mathnasium” workshop.
Mathematics is a subject which some children may be a little wary of, but a session was devoted to make them realise that there was no reason to feel that way and maths could actually be fun.
They were given a series of logic and arithmetic papers to test their mental maths agility. Matchsticks, magic squares and “Kidoku” were used to Help THE would-be Einsteins understand the value of numbers and the tips and tricks of calculation.
Visitors get to explore the latest technologies at the “Future MACHINE” EXHIBITION, WHICH Encompasses live visual shows OFFERING children insights into the new digital age, as well as models and replicas that run on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND robot Functioning.
The festival has been gaining increasing attention and the last edition too proved to be a roaring success. It involved 123 exhibitors specialised in children’s literature and attracted more than 306,000 visitors.
A galaxy of international guests and a host of intellectually stimulating activities have made SCRF one of the most important events of its kind in the Middle East.
Sharjah surely deserves special praise for striving to cultivate the love for literature among people, especially the young ones.