Of late, I've been too busy to post updates about events I conduct, but here's a quick heads-up. I'm conducting a workshop at the British Library tomorrow!Explore novel records that you can see yourself setting!Work on all four language skills – reading, writing, listening and speaking. Interact with other children with varied interests. Reflect on everything you have read so far and why it interests you.Most importantly, let's have some fun!It's part of this year's Reading Challenge, but you're welcome to attend the workshop even if you aren't part of the challenge!Here are the details:Venue: British Library, Fergusson College Road, Pune Date: 8th January, 2016 Age-group: 8-13 years Time: 4pm to 6pm Registration fee: Rs 600 Contact: Namrata - 020-41005327Pre-registration is preferred, but if it is impossible, you're welcome to drop in fifteen … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge Workshop at Mumbai
Twelve hours of travel-time, and a three-hour workshop. I can't promise to do it again, yet it was fun!The British Council, Mumbai, has rolled out the reading challenge programme in several schools in Mumbai. I conducted three workshops at Universal High, Dahisar, and had a lovely time.We worked with Sophie's Snail by Dick King-Smith, a story I love. Classes one and two read the story with me, and enjoyed it as much as I did! We couldn't get over the size of the snail. The whole class chorused with me, "It's bright yellow and just the size of Sophie's middle fingernail!"With the older children, we did "The Porcupine" by Roald Dahl, "The Adventures of Isabel" by Ogden Nash, "The Quarrel" by Maxine Kumin, "A Pizza the Size of the Sun" by Jack Prelutsky and "Jimmy Goes to the City" by Arthur Read. The children learned about rhyme and meter, and then played with all the poetry we … [Read more...]
Lari Don
I was introduced to Lari Don thanks to the Mythical Maze Reading Challenge, and if for nothing else, I'm glad of the challenge for that! Of the First Aid for Fairies series, I read the last one first, and then I had to read the others.Once again, I realised why children like series. A single book is not like a short story. A short story delivers what it promises to deliver - a picture. A book makes you want more - a sequel, a prequel, a continuation. If you fall in love with a book, you fall in love with the characters. When the characters are your friends, you want to spend more time with them and get to know them better.That's how it was with this series. Despite the fact that I did not read the series in order, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love brave, loyal Yann and Lee who cannot be trusted. Helen Strang with her violin - I could hear the melodies … [Read more...]
Mythical Maze – Workshop II
The Mythical Maze Reading Challenge is nearly over!After Reading and Role Play and Idioms Are My Cup of Tea, today has Myths from around the World and Myths and Fables.I showed the little ones a map of the world. These children are in the age-group 5-7.We were reading a 'story from Arabia', Where There is Will. "Do you know where Arabia could be?" I asked.One child stood up. "I think it is here," she said, pointing to the entire Gulf region."Good!""Do you know how I know?""How?""See, this is India. Over here, this sea is called the Arabian Sea. So the Arabian Sea has to touch Arabia, right?" … [Read more...]
Idioms are my Cup of Tea!
That was the title of my last workshop at the British Library.We tried translating "It's raining cats and dogs" to Hindi and Marathi to giggles, shouts of laughter.We compared the literal meaning of "He kicked the bucket" with its figurative meaning.We performed the Herculean task of linking mythology with idioms, and then the children spilled the beans about the fact that most of their knowledge of Greek mythology came from Percy Jackson. When it came to Norse mythology and Biblical terms, their knowledge collapsed like a house of cards and they commented, "We have a long way to go and a lot to learn. We're just knee-high to a grasshopper!" A crossword puzzle proved to be their Achilles heel, but we continued to see the glass as half-full, as the children and I got on like a house on fire! … [Read more...]
Free Workshop for Parents
Here's some media coverage of the free workshop I conducted for parents ... Looking forward to the Reading Challenge: details in the news clip! … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge Sakaal Times
Varsha Seshan's workshops in the Sakaal Times today!With the Reading Challenge just around the corner, I conducted a special curtain-raiser today on getting children to read."My children don't read at all!" "I keep asking him to tell me about what he's reading; he never tells me anything!" "His friend reads so much, but he doesn't read at all!" "We made him join the library, but still he doesn't read!"After every workshop, I face these responses, so I thought of conducting a session for parents before the actual launch of the reading challenge. It was a free session, open to everyone - and what fun it was! … [Read more...]
Mythical Maze
"Mythical Maze" - that's the theme for this years reading challenge at the British Library.What is a reading challenge all about? What does it achieve?Here's a bit about it. Children are divided into two age brackets - 5-7 and 8-13. Each age bracket has a select list of books that fit under the theme "Mythical Maze". These books are carefully selected, and are especially useful to parents who want to know what their children 'ought' to read. The main advantage here is that a whole group of children is reading the same books, a kind of temporary book club. This means that they have things in common to talk about and discuss - and the arena for this is the workshops conducted at the library. More than anything, the reading challenge achieves two things: 1) Getting over starting trouble: what to read, where to begin 2) Meeting children with common interests: Many children (and adults) … [Read more...]