Workshop Outline: How do books come alive? What happens in the mind of the writer, and how does it finally reach the hands of the reader? “Imagine and Innovate” explores each step of the journey: from the idea to the making of the book. Children will come together to create a story, design and make a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Reading Workshop in Viman Nagar
Here’s what’s next! Reading Workshop for Children Age-group: 8-12 years Venue: JustBooks, Viman Nagar Dates: 29th and 30th December, 2014 (The last workshop of the year!) Time: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm Fee: Rs 500
Back from Baramati
My lovely workshop at Baramati has come to an end. One child made a card – out of a recycled wedding card. Another child naively told me, “This is Harsh’s gift from class V A.” Children shared what they had learnt. And one girl gave me a letter. Here’s just a little part of a […]
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!
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 […]
Day Two: Reading Workshop
At VP’s Bal Vikas Mandir, workshops are not just enjoyable work. On Monday, after my first two sessions, I was not well. “Could I have just soup for dinner?” I asked. “Of course,” was the reply. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door – Vicks and Crocin to ensure that I slept […]
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 […]
Christmas Reading
Fills my heart with joy …
Reading Challenge, British Library
Last year, it was ‘Creepy House’; this year, it’s ‘Mythical Maze’. Children in the age-group 5-13 can take part in a fantastic journey through books, discovering selkies, fairies and even the Trojan horse. There will also be three workshops for each age-group, aimed at building confidence and improving expression. Here are the details of the […]
Reading Workshop at Baramati
“Do you know who Augustus Gloop is?” I asked. “A Roman emperor!” responded a boy, promptly. We all laughed; we could not help it. Articulate, enthusiastic and full of energy, the children from Vidya Pratishthan’s Bal Vikas Mandir filled Monday and Tuesday with ideas and action. “Have you heard of Roald Dahl?” I asked another […]
Reading Workshop, Poona Club Library
This is the first time I have received so many queries about the workshop! Here are a few more details, just to make things clear. Reading Workshop for Children Dates: 1st and 2nd November, 2014 Time: 10 am to noon Fee: Rs 500 per child Total duration: 4 hours Age-group: 8-12 years Objectives: To develop a […]
Reading Workshop
I started going to the Poona Club library – no, I never called it ‘United Services Library’ – longer ago than I can remember. I do know, though, that in my head, Poona Club library was the only real library I knew. Not because it had exceptional books. Not because it opened my eyes to books […]
David
I rarely read something that is ‘Not Suitable for Younger Readers’ and, to be honest, I did not notice that David had this warning. Yet (or maybe because of that) David struck a chord with me. In Florence in 1501, it was essential to know what your political inclinations were. Either you supported the republic, […]
Frederica
I was standing at the bank reading Frederica because even though it is not true that I ‘cannot’ put the book down, it is true that I don’t want to put the book down. There is nothing like a book that is addictive. It makes you want to read: during that one minute when the […]
White Dolphin
Who does not like animal stories? As a child, I wanted to be an environmentalist and a vet. The problem was that I was afraid of biology and dissection, so I contented myself with animal stories, knowing no other option. Gill Lewis’s White Dolphin filled my heart. It was a story that jumped out of […]
Read Something New! – Day Four
Children’s imaginations are simply wonderful. Today, I met – a porcupine who dreamed of being a pillow – a hen that had three wings and could not fly – a snail that ran marathons – a dinosaur with twenty legs – a mouse that went to school and many more. Two by two, these animals […]
The Memory Cage
A truly wonderful book. What can a boy do when his grandfather has Alzheimer’s and everyone else in his family wants him to go to a home? How can he convince his family that it’s cruel? The Memory Cage is a stark depiction of war and loneliness. War is not about bravery and courage. Dulce […]