Activities and Programmes
A number of children joined clubs and activities organised by the Centre that nurture their talents and abilities, and help them to develop social skills, including the Little Painter’s Club, the Reading Club, the Literature Club House, and Technology Clubs.
The Centre also celebrated several occasions, including World Book Day, Palestinian Child’s Day, the Global Campaign for Education, the closing ceremony of the 2012 summer activities, World Arabic Language Day, Mother’s Day, Libraries Week, and the closing ceremony for the 2013 winter activities.
The Centre has been working towards establishing long-term programmes, which have been planned in partnership with other institutions that work with children in culture and education. These include:
My Country’s Monuments Programme
My Country’s Monuments concluded on World Heritage Day. A special activity was held to teach children about the importance of preserving their Palestinian heritage. The programme was launched on 21 February in cooperation with the Islamic University’s Centre for Architectural Heritage (Iwan), a subsidiary of the Engineering Faculty at the Islamic University in Gaza. The programme targeted 25 children under the age of 12, giving them the opportunity to learn about their cultural heritage and about the importance of preserving historical sites and monuments. Children also participated in a variety of arts and crafts such as painting, and activities using the Mantle of the Expert approach to drama.
One of the most remarkable aspects of this programme was that workshops were held at numerous heritage sites. This added a practical component to the programme and enriched the experience for the participating children.
Science Oasis Programme
The Science Oasis programme was launched in January 2013 as an umbrella programme encompassing all science activities at the Qattan Centre for the Child.
Many children participated in the first science course during the winter school holidays. They enjoyed observing and carrying out their own experiments, and the event’s success has encouraged the Centre to plan similar activities, on a larger scale, during the summer holidays.
Performing Arts Programme
One of the most charming shows to come out of this programme was a dance performance by primary and preparatory school children during the summer activities ceremony of 2012. They had previously been taught the traditional Palestinian dabke.
Drama as a Context for Learning
Drama is one of the cultural tributaries that we use when working with children, because it brings out their creative potential. Its components are movement, improvisation, and role-playing, all techniques that help children to learn values such as cooperation and awareness of rights.
Children were asked to play ‘the expert’ when carrying out different tasks and roles, including in My Country’s Monuments (discussed above). In this way, children were able to use their exploratory and inventive energies by adopting dramatic techniques from various traditions.
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At the closing ceremony of 'My Country’s Monuments Programme' |
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| Children play guitars during a concert entitled 'Winter has Returned' |
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| A woman and her daughter during Mother’s Day celebration at the Centre |
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| An activity as part of the World Arabic Language Day |