‘I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. Life is no “brief candle” for me. […]
Shine on! A quote from our patron – Gcina Mhlophe Read More »
A summary of what we do and how we do it. Where did we come from? • CBN started in 2012 working with Red Hill informal settlement • Founders Gcina Mhlophe, Lesley Beake and Sindiwe Magona • Four years working with children in Cederberg region.Four years in Overstrand region. Where are we now? • Expanding.
Children’s Book Network (CBN) in a nutshell: FAQ Read More »
On a Saturday morning a bit of story-telling always comes in handy and some of our stalwart Stanford CBN children met to celebrate the holidays and listen to An African Mother Christmas by Gcina Mhlophe and Star Mother’s youngest child by Louise Moeri. Not only was glitter allowed (encouraged, even) but cake was supplied. Nobody
Holiday workshop with a festive theme Read More »
On Saturday 16th December CBN will be having a special story morning – with books that reflect the spirit of generosity and caring – and Africa. We will be reading from The Star Mother’s Youngest Child, a beautiful American story by Louise Moeri and An African Mother Christmas, by Gcina Mhlophe. There will be a
Holiday Story Morning in Stanford Read More »
‘The literacy crisis in South Africa is far worse than previously thought, with 78% of Grade 4 learners unable to read, according to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) report released on Tuesday.’ (5 December 2017) For more of the facts and figures, please go to. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2017/12/05/south-african-learners-worst-at-reading-in-world-shows-international-study_a_23297219/?utm_hp_ref=za-homepage Do we agree? Yes. This is
No! No! This can’t be true … but it is. Read More »
Any organization needs a firm hand on the paperwork and CBN has been doubly fortunate to have Chantel looking after ours. She has devotedly steered us through the perils of registering as an NPO, registering for tax exemption and obtaining a clean audit on four years of accounts from SARS. These, of course, are major
Introducing CBN Friends: Chantel Oosthuysen Read More »
If you step out of Cape Town airport with your eyes open it won’t be long before you start to notice our children. We have a lot of them – 18.5 million of them at the last census in 2014. (53.7 million total population in 2014.) You will see them in the terminal, of course,
Of all the children we have worked with, the ones we met on Wednesday touched us most deeply. We forget, sometimes as adults who read, how much we use books to escape. When times are hard, we reach for a book. Books and stories give us another place to go when the place we are
CBN Workshop at Red Cross Children’s Hospital School Read More »
A library is … maybe the best place in the world to be locked in by mistake! Here are some other ideas by poet Nikki Giovanni a Library Is: a place to be free to be in space to be in cave times to be a cook to be a crook to be in love
A LIBRARY by Nikki Giovanni Read More »
On Saturday 28th October CBN continued with the theme of personal identity and home. Books discussed included stories of place and landscape as well as addressing the problem of communication and language. The workshop was facillitated by Primrose Mrwebi, while Nayesha Makwarimba ably assisted and Lesley Beake handled the stories and reading. Ellen Osman brought
Number four in the series of workshops with Stanford children about their personal heritage. We began with landscape of their environment, and maps. That activity will continue – but we are also looking at their own and their family stories. Who ARE our children? Many thanks to Butterfly Centre for the use of their premises.
On Friday 13th October, CBN delivered the third of our prototype reading toolboxes to Red Cross at a 2-hour workshop attended by members of Rotary Newlands (who donated the toolbox) and the principal and members of the staff of the hospital school, which does vital work in keeping hospitalised children interested and distracted. It’s challenging
Toolbox handover: Red Cross Hospital Children’s School Read More »
Two prototype toolboxes have already been handed over – to Red Hill informal settlement above Simon’s Town and to Sevile School in Khayelitsha. A third box will be donated by Rotary Newlands at a small workshop for teacher-librarians at Red Cross Children’s Hospital. This workshop is designed to open communications about what works – and
Toolbox workshop 13th October 2017 Read More »
These workshops extended over three days and were attended by between 26 children (first day) and 18 children (third day). Some children were away visiting relatives in E Cape during the school holidays. The theme was enthusiastically embraced by a very mixed age group of children – while a couple of younger siblings made drawings
Our World: CBN Spring workshops Read More »
OUR WORLD PROJECT History This project started on 24 September with an introduction to the ideas of place and person – who I am and where I live – and will continue until after the summer workshops. Tuesday 3 October Introducing me! Wednesday 4 October My place INTRODUCING ME Nash will begin the workshop with
Spring Workshops 2017 – 3&4 October Read More »
CBN will be giving two workshops in Stanford during the holidays, carrying on with the theme of ‘Our World’ launched here last week. The workshops will be on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th October, from 10.00 to 12.30. As usual, the children will be given snacks and juice when they arrive and a sandwich lunch
CHILDREN’S BOOK NETWORK (CBN) www.childrensbook.co.za WHAT WE DO: Work with under-resourced children Children who are aged 10, 11 & 12 Children who can read … but don’t We work in English – with translators available We work with communities, not usually with schools We work through community leaders and librarians We give workshops lasting from
Summarising what CBN does Read More »
On Heritage weekend (23 September), CBN held the first of a series of workshops around the landscape and lives of children in the Overstrand region. They got off to a cracking start! Facilitators Primrose Mrwebi and Lesley Beake led the charge (after the necessary biscuits and juice for the children). We focused on two books
Our World project begins Read More »
Our next workshop will be on Saturday 23 September at 10.00, at The Butterfly Centre in Stanford. This is the beginning of a project that will extend into the summer holidays, where we will be looking at the world of the children in Stanford, Hermanus and Gansbaai (and, hopefully, other places in the Overstrand region).
Big new project!– Big new topic! Read More »
CBN is back in action, and the beginning of official spring, and the end of our short break has been kicked-off by the most marvellous generosity from Friends of Children’s Book Network in England. Ten business people in Worthing on the south coast of England were drawn into a plan hatched by Roger McCartney (who
