Imagine sitting in a theatre, not just to watch a play but to determine how the story unfolds. This was the scene at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (2024) ballroom on Friday, where the interactive play “Your Choice” made its festival debut. Set in an art school, the immersive production, directed by Mohammed Al Ansari, places the young audience at the heart of the storyline, allowing them to make decisions that directly influence the plot. The story begins with introducing Tala, a new student on her first day, navigating the typical trials of school life, including having to build camaraderie…
Author: Kashan Tumsil
The House of Wisdom booth at the 15th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival stands as a vibrant destination, drawing young visitors eager to explore, enhance skills, and foster critical and creative thinking, thus unlocking their potential. Under the theme of ‘Hayy bin Yaqdhan: A Journey of Enlightenment,’ the booth inspires visitors of all ages to embrace valuable lessons promoting the significance of critical thinking, self-reliance, sustainable living, and environmental stewardship. Through a myriad of activities, events, and storytelling inspired by the timeless narrative of the Andalusian philosopher Ibn Tufayl, it endeavours to instill these principles into the hearts and minds of…
If the many three-dimensional dress designs generated on paper by a batch of young girls at the Surreal Dress Card workshop is any indication, the 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah has achieved its purpose of igniting children’s creativity and imagination. The imaginative art workshop conducted by fashion consultant Azza Souebni is ideal for young lovers of fashion who wish to explore the spirit of surrealist arts and express their creativity through unique and whimsical designs. In order to create their own dress cards, inspired by surrealist style, the girls were…
Young visitors to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) had a whale of a time on Friday as they took every opportunity to meet and greet the giant life-like characters of the annual event while dancing their way with them. The focus was on Wamda, Shua’a, Qalam, and Nuqta – the four official mascots of the 12-day festival – as they delighted the children on their rounds across the event’s hall and lobbies. “Each one of us is special in our own way. One has a book in hand, one a flash and one a pen while the other…
“Smacznego! In Polish language, it means eat well,” quipped British lawyer-turned-chef of Polish descent Ren Behan as she gave her audience a slice each of the yummy classic Polish cheesecake after she had demonstrated the preparation of the dessert during the Special Recipes session at the 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah. Chef Behan’s recipe was a treat for her audience at SCRF 2024 as she loaded it with some baking tips and tricks. After preheating the oven to 170 °C and lining a springform cake pan with a sheet of…
A highlight of the ongoing Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) this year is the Comic Station, where on Friday, children were captivated by the pop art workshop. Catering to attendees aged 7 and above, this creative session transformed plain white sheets of paper into vibrant canvases bursting with colour and imagination. Under the guidance of Maha Al Meheiri, a creative instructor, some young artists meticulously followed her instructions to produce striking pop art pieces, while others ventured into the realm of comic characters, letting their creativity lead the way. Maha encouraged them to embrace a boundless approach to…
Call it the impact of the changing climate, or perhaps the persistent messaging from the government regarding the necessity to alter our lifestyles to safeguard the Earth, sustainability has entered the collective conscience of people, young and old. The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2024) too has been playing an incredible role in building young consciousnesses with regular workshops at their ‘Go Sustainable pavilion’. On Friday, it hosted a workshop demonstrating how to construct a dwarf house using materials that would otherwise have been discarded as rubbish. “The turnout for our workshops this season has been fantastic. Even…
Young visitors to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) got active and enjoyed a crash course in self defence as part of a physical education workshop. The select group of students attending the session, conducted by Dubai-based personal training studio, learnt all about the basics of kickboxing as Ukrainian instructor Gregory Voronin demonstrated some of the most common moves involved in the full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. “Kickboxing is not only a great form of exercise but also teaches important life skills such as discipline, focus and self-defence,” said Voronin. “It’s inspiring to…
Young visitors to the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) got active and enjoyed a crash course in self defence as part of a physical education workshop. The select group of students attending the session, conducted by Dubai-based personal training studio, learnt all about the basics of kickboxing as Ukrainian instructor Gregory Voronin demonstrated some of the most common moves involved in the full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. “Kickboxing is not only a great form of exercise but also teaches important life skills such as discipline, focus and self-defence,” said Voronin. “It’s inspiring to…
Young children embarked on an immersive journey into the world of “Leila and the Wolf”, an Arabic version of the Little Red Riding Hood fable, and learnt a few lessons about safety and familial love at the “Wild Mask” workshop during the 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah. Introducing 3-8 year-olds to the workshop, trainer Amira Al Saleh showed them the cartoon popular on Ostratouna TV, and explained to them how to make a journey to visit their sick grandmother overcoming challenges and dangers on the way that Little Red…