If there could be a measurement of success after workshops, we feel it would be measured by the amount of laughing (as opposed to giggling) that goes on. Especially on long workshops – like the four-day one we had in July 2014 in the Cederberg – the children relax into a state of mind where they are really listening, really participating – and laughing a lot.
When we look at the pictures after any workshop, it is the amount of lively action going on that impresses the most. There are the still, quiet times with a pen and an idea, the artistic moments with a paintbrush and a big bit of cardboard and – the most wonderful of all – the moments of true listening and enjoyment when a story or a book is shared.
These workshops are voluntary. This is not a school situation and the children can vote with their feet whenever they want to. The fact that they choose not to is an encouragement in itself.
