With preparations underway for the 14th annual edition of the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival (SCRF 2023), the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) has lined up 946 children's activities, including workshops, sports, crafts and music activities led by 25 guests from 10 countries held between May 3 – 14 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
The children's workshops at this year's festival are spread across seven stations, each offering unique activities in different fields. The OliOli Museum offers 3 workshops full of adventure and competition, while the handicrafts station offers 12 workshops on crafts, traditional arts, and design. Meanwhile, the skills station offers 9 workshops to develop a wide range of hobbies and professional skill sets.
As for the sports station, it includes 10 workshops that focus on games and physical activities. The music station will be home to 9 workshops teaching children to play different musical instruments. Additionally, both the robotics and science stations offer 11 workshops each, focusing on teaching unique scientific concepts and technologies in our lives.
SCRF's workshops in the upcoming edition cover diverse areas of interest and are designed to cater to different skill levels suited for children of all age groups. The festival aims to provide young participants with an enjoyable experience that combines fun and practical knowledge while also enabling them to enhance their skills in various fields.
One of the most exciting workshops at SCRF 2023 is Grand Prix racing, which will offer an amazing experience for kids and adults alike, where they can make wooden cars and race with them in the 'Stunts Track' and 'Car Race'.
Nurturing the artists in every child
In the Stop Motion Animation workshop, participants will learn the intermittent movement technique to create a story about their favourite book using the same characters and plot as our movies are often based on books. Meanwhile, in the Little Dee Jay workshop, participants will be guided by DEE JAY and his assistant to experiment with DJ's units and set during open sessions throughout the festival.
Filmmaking, entrepreneurship, and more
The festival will also introduce children to different skills and hobbies, including ‘Processing of Films’, which takes participants back in time to learn photography techniques, the methods of taking pictures at that time and their development process. Meanwhile, the ‘Future Entrepreneur’ workshop will teach children the basics of selecting a preferred sector to start a business and become young entrepreneurs.
The hugely anticipated festival, which runs under the theme 'Train your Brain' this year, will host a packed programme of 1,732 activities led by 457 featured guests hailing from 66 countries. There will also be 136 theatre performances, roaming and acrobatic shows and music concerts led by 16 guests from 16 countries.
