Children’s Book Network (CBN) has officially kicked off our Saturday workshops for the year. These workshops take place twice a month and give our children a chance to read, space to let their imaginations fly, and access to knowledge outside of their everyday experience.
Our first workshop was a lovely introduction to the year’s programme for both our regular attendees and all of our newcomers. True to CBN’s form, we started the morning’s programme off with a clapping game to have the children feel comfortable and energised!
We then split the children into two groups organised by grade, where our wonderful CBN Team spent time reading to the them. Our older children were then given books to read themselves and were thereafter asked a few questions about their books. Reading for comprehension is an important skill for children to take away from these workshops.
Having read about insects and gardens, our younger group were tasked with creating a creature from natural materials found in the beautiful gardens at the Butterfly Centre.
The world rocks was our second workshop theme for the month. Each age group read books around the topic of the world and its wonders. Our older group wrote some lovely pieces about why they think the world rocks.
Being the month of love, the grade ones, twos and threes wrote why they love the world on heart-shaped leaves which they used to create a special tree. While taking a break in the shade outside, the children found a caterpillar making its way up a tree. It was a wonderful moment to see their faces light up as they were able to see for themselves where butterflies come from – something which they had read about in Monkey Puzzle.
These smiling faces and the little ‘aha’ moments of understanding and consolidation, show how our workshops are working their wonder.
Bringing books to children, and children to books
