Sharjah 24: Learning to become builders and town planners at a young age is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and children attending the 15th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF), on Saturday, had that rare chance to use their hands and brains to get creative.
At the ‘Little Builders’ workshop conducted by Ukrainian craftsman and designer Rubau Taras, children unlocked their imagination and created a future city that was sustainably and thoughtfully planned. As an introduction, Taras showed them videos of architectural styles and marvels worldwide, explaining how building styles have evolved over centuries.
Nearly a dozen children sat huddled around three tables, and the first thing that was done was to interconnect the tables with paper suspension bridges they had assembled. A print model of the town buildings was supplied to them for inspiration. The little builders were then given wooden blocks in all shapes – semicircular, cylinder, cube, cuboid, arched, triangles and squares – to create a big city that had everything from palm trees, green patches, bridges, traffic signals. The only missing element were buildings.
The group activity had everyone doing their share of the work as they built their city from scratch, and the activity ultimately proved to be a unique lesson in community living and activity.
“We have used only wooden blocks, carton sheets, recycled paper, craft sticks and colour paper, all of which are recyclable and reusable. Together we created a fantastic and environmentally friendly city, and I hope the aspiring architects and city planners in this session take this lesson to heart” said Taras.
SCRF 2024, which will come to a close on Sunday, May 12, has the theme “Once Upon a Hero”. The action-packed festival for young readers, artists and creatives as well as their families showcases millions of books including latest releases in children’s and Young Adult (YA) literature from across the globe.
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