Written by Karla Contreras
Through books, children can certainly improve their reading and writing skills. However, an integrated education consists in developing not only the mind, but the body and emotions. Therefore, creativity and critical thinking are essential in today’s world and should be included in a curriculum at an early age.
I feel that with this aim, Bookworm supported by the Alban Couto Library Project are now one step ahead in a richer literacy curriculum in Aldona. The library program provides students with the rich opportunity to listen to stories, read books, think around books and also through activities such as crafts, painting and recently, body expression.
Every week, a team of Isa Flores and myself, Karla Contreras go into a class for Creative Expression around books. We Read Aloud one of the chosen Bookworm Stories and then we enable creativity, body expression and imagination.
Since June we have worked in three schools in Aldona – Auxiium Aldona . St. Thomas Boys Primary School and St. Thomas Girls Primary School. These creative sessions are possible due to financial suppport of the Alban Couto program that enables resource fees and art material for the session and the community fund raising of Aldona.
ST. Thomas Boys Primary School worked with the book Rain by Manya Stojic and this is what they produced as a whole class.
In Auxilium Carona, the children worked in groups to create a Water Cycle Mobile inspired from the learning of The Sea in a Bucket by Anveshi and illustrated by Proiti Roy.
St. Thomas Girls School had the opportunity to work with home-made clay while we read What Shall I Make a book also by Proti Roy.
Even though it can be hard for children to do this kind of activities at the beginning, with time they become more and more confident of themselves, start experimenting and finally, they enjoy creating innovative things.
While in some way students have the opportunity to experience creative lessons only once a week, we consider that the sessions are having a steadily positive impact on children since they learn while doing fun activities and also, they are allowed to express themselves freely using their imagination.
The program has much more scope to grow and blossom and we hope to keep the pace with the Creative sessions and in time also increase them so that the Language Arts program of Bookworm goes beyond books.