Sharjah24: Recycling and sustainable living ideas were imparted to children as young as five as they created colourful flowers using sheets from old textbooks and newspapers at the “Glowing Garden” session during the ongoing 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF).

The largest celebration of knowledge, creativity, art and innovation of its kind in the region, SCRF 2024 is taking place in Expo Centre Sharjah from May 1 to 12, and carries the slogan ‘Once Upon a Hero’.

Closely following the instructions of the tutor Valeriia Lotorieva, the budding artists deftly cut out six petals each from the paper given to them, poured water colour on them with a filler, spread the paint with a brush, and stuck them one above the other on a round piece of paper using glue. The trainer then pierced two holes in the centre of the flower to string a twine through it, making it easy for each participant to carry it home.

“Kids can use it to decorate their rooms, and if they keep it under a lamp it will glow giving the feel of a glowing garden. This activity is meant to raise their awareness about the environment and the need for recycling whenever possible,” said Lotorieva, who is a designer, creator and musician from Ukraine.

SCRF, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), is the region’s largest event dedicated to nurturing young readers' imaginations. The 12-day festival has planned a completely action-packed fortnight for young readers, artists and creatives as well as their families with more than 1500 cultural, artistic and edutainment activities. 

While millions of books including latest releases in children’s and Young Adult (YA) literature from across the globe will be at the heart of SCRF 2024, the event will offer the region’s largest platform for cultural and artistic appreciation with theatrical performances, culinary demonstrations, workshops in STEM, social media, music, and several other areas of interest, exciting competitions, activities, animation events and more.