Youngest members of the UAE community, in the 5-12 age group, are enjoying fun, creative and hands-on lessons on the nation’s culture and heritage at the 18^thedition of Sharjah Heritage Days (SHD).

At theChildren’s Village set up at the festival venue in Heart of Sharjah, organisers Sharjah Institute for Heritage (SIH) are providing a unique platform for informal learning through tangible and age-appropriate experiences that connect them to the nation’s past.

In line with SIH’s commitment to ensure the health and safety of all participants, only 16 children are allowed at the workshops at a specified time slot. Divided into four workshop stations, four children participate in each activity at a time abiding by physical distancing rules.

Following each session, the entire space is sanitised before the next batch of children step in.

The aroma of chubab, a local breakfast pancake which gets its distinctiveness from ingredients like saffron and date syrup, wafts through from the ‘Grandma’sKitchen’ (MatbakhYado) section where children learn about the culinary traditions of the UAE.

It is at the ‘Competition’ area that children get to partake in a host of games including hopscotch, basketball, ring toss, and many more.In the ‘Academic’ section, children practice the art of writing Arabic calligraphy and are being introduced to the informal learning culture prevalent in the UAE before the advent of formal educational institutions.

In the audio-visual corner, grandmothers tell interesting stories of the past.

The ‘Traditional Crafts’ section is the space to explore traditional Emirati clothing. Here, young ones learn to attach pieces of hand embroidered Talli on the neck and sleeves of tiny dolls, as they learn about one of the oldest Emirati weaving techniques. Kids are learning how to make prayer beads as well as the craft of making agal, the black cord worn by men to keep the ghutrain place.

Workshops at the Children’s Village are held three times daily, beginning at 5 pm.