With more than 40 fun and interactive workshops ranging from creative photography lessons to hands-on sessions incorporating arts and science activities, children have plenty of options to remain entertained at the 40th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair this year, that runs from November 3 – 13 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The workshops will be part of a vibrant and expansive Kids programme featuring 355 activities and shows and a rich agenda of educational, cultural and entertainment activities designed for the 2021 edition of SIBF that runs under the theme, ‘There’s always a right book’. The workshops will be led by professionals and experts from 9 countries to nurture creativity and imagination and help children of all ages unleash their artistic potential.

Workshops organised by the Sharjah Book Authority at SIBF 2021 include the Art of Plantingthat skillfully combines science with art to engage the young ones. Here, participants will transform terracotta pots into a fun and colourful creation in an engaging session that also provides valuable tips on planting and taking care of their potted plant.

In the Movie Poster Star workshop, children can turn their photos into attention-grabbing, personalised movie posters! After choosing a movie poster design of their favourite film in any genre, the workshop will teach young children how to add their own photo, title, and more, and be the ‘star’ of their own blockbuster movie.

Back from the Future is a magical workshop where children are encouraged to travel to the future and back! The workshop will inspire participants to come up with new ideas, develop the skills of forecasting the future, explore opportunities and challenges they predict for the future and find innovative solutions.

With its space-themed activities, Global Explorers promises an interactive and educational journey where participants can think, imagine, create, and invent while combining the essentials of science and space. This workshop blends STEM fundamentals with creativity to enhance imagination and artistic skills as young children learn to craft rockets and explore space.

For children who are creative and full of ideas, the Creative Photography workshop has been designed to help them get started on the fundamentals of photography and composition and learn fun ways to explore their creativity. The session will provide participants with an advanced understanding of their cameras and could plant the seeds of a lifelong interest in photography.

SIBF 2021 will also host fun workshops to get started on robotics, activities that complement science concepts learnt in the classroom, multimedia workshops, environmental lessons, and more.

Two Sharjah-based entities are also hosting three exciting workshops to enable children explore their creative talents. Sharjah Institute for Heritage will conduct two workshops – Doll Making that makes use of throwaway fabrics and accessories and Figurine Colouring, where participants will creatively colour gypsum figurines with aquarelle and oil colours, while at the Paper Cup Dolls session hosted by Sharjah Ladies Club, children will learn how to make animal shapes using paper cups.

In addition, the 11-day fair will feature an outdoor exhibition from Canada titled ‘A Nomadic Heart’, which is dedicated to celebrating the literary experiences of the Haitian-Canadian novelist Dany Laferrière and includes 7 interactive shows based on 3 of his novels.