Summer activities are pivotal to children s development, not mere time fillers CAIRO: Whether it is a low-key teenager or a hyperactive seven-year-old, summer time is always a problem. More than three months of children lying around the house, either wrecking havoc in all its rooms or glued to the TV screen and playing video games, is a concern for all parents. There is always the option of sports, but through organized summer activities, children can make use of the summer vacation to learn a new skill and make new friends while enjoying their time. Numerous centers in the city offer a range of activities that cultivate children s social and cognitive skills. These provide them with their share of excitement. From dance classes and worldwide art competitions to English language courses and research-based projects, children have numerous options, and it s all available in private and public institutions. The British Council, famous for its children-oriented summer activities, offers interactive English language courses. Vicky Bayliss, the summer school co-coordinator of the British Council in the Agouza branch, says the council organizes some fun general English courses, in which children learn the English language through various activities including games, projects and plays. We try to teach children the English language through fun activities and enjoyable projects along with the book work, so that they can get really involved, Bayliss says. The summer school this year is called Book-based, as opposed to Video-based, last year, as it depends a great deal on the book work. An international art competition is another enjoyable activity in the British Council. According to Bayliss, children are asked to design a picture of the council s 2007 calendar. The best three are chosen from all the branches of the British Council around the world and the winners get a free trip to London. As for the local winner in Cairo, they receive free English novels and story books. The program offers its services for 7 year-old kids to 15-year-old teenagers. The American University junior summer program is also among the most popular in the country. Available in the university s Downtown campus and Heliopolis branch, the program provides youngsters with interesting pre-college preparations. Available in two sessions, one in and June and one in July, the AUC program includes research and debate skills, dance performances, art competitions and teenage oriented interactive values and ethics classes. The program is also known for its English language classes that cover writing, reading and storytelling. The Culture Wheel, one of the famous cultural centers in Cairo, has an enjoyable program for summer activities three days a week from 9 a.m. till 2 a.m. "On Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, children enjoy practicing various activities in the center, says Sabah El Mohandes, a public relations member in the Culture Wheel. Activities cover art, music and religion. The center organizes art workshops, in order to allow the children to learn the different types of drawings including drawing with oil colors, watercolors and the art of sculpture. "Children go home everyday, holding in their hands an art work they made in the center, says El Mohandes. The center has organized an art exhibit last month in which all the kids' pieces were displayed. The same goes for music. After learning how to play the piano, guitar and oud, "there will be a concert for children who play music in the center, as a kind of recognition, says El Mohandes. As for the religious activities, it takes place on the same three days, but from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children listen to prophets' stories and learn Quran reciting, says El Mohandes. As for public cultural centers in Cairo, the Child s Library, working under the authority of the Integrated National Care Society organization headed by First Lady Suzan Mubarak, is another useful place for children to go during the summer. Mona Baker, the general manager of the public children library in Nasr City, says about 2,015 child visited the library last June. Besides reading books, the library organized various activities for the visiting children. The library is not all about reading or borrowing books; rather it plays a really pivotal role in educating the children and cultivating their skills, explains Baker, The different activities organized by the library, along with the readings available, greatly help the children in developing their creative, social and cognitive skills. Also, the child is able to socialize with other children and form a group of friends. The UCMAS, a recent addition to the library s activities, aims at developing the cognitive abilities of four-year-olds. The UCMAS program is a new educational program that teaches children to calculate . without calculators, says Baker. A specialized teacher works with the children on nurturing their cognitive skills in this regard, she explains. The library also offers other activities including music, arts and drawing, Baker adds. Art workshops are available for children to practice arts and drawings, and eventually their work is displayed at the nation-wide festival Reading for All. There are also musical activities that help in teaching the children how to read from musical notes and play professionally on the musical instruments, notes Bader. We are thinking of establishing a choral team for the library. The library is equipped with 20 computers and offers computer courses off advanced software such as Adobe Photoshop and Freehand. The library is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. except for Fridays.
