When I am angry I go to a dark room. That room is so dark there is only one hole that the light comes through. It is quite cold and lonely. I just sit there and I hear voices talking to me. My anger just overwhelms me and the darkness takes over. It feels like […]
On Friday 18th October in Plumstead in Cape Town about 180 children were waiting in the hall to hear about books and reading. School visits are never the same. Sometimes the group of children is bigger (or smaller), quiet (or restless). Sometimes they have had lots of visits from book people; sometimes they have had
Timour Hall Primary is reading! Read More »
Not often does one drop in on a weekday afternoon at a Cape Town township high school and find a group of teenagers practicing how to address the Queen of Sweden. But this is South Africa and these are young people who can make anything happen, given the opportunity. On Friday, seven learners at Chris
Khayelitsha to Sweden! Read More »
Cederberg Stories: Workshop for Clanwilliam: Clanwilliam Heritage workshop, Home, Landscape and Me – 23rd and 24th September 2013 – Heritage Day and beyond. CBN is privileged to have two guest facilitators at our heritage workshop. One is Peter Slingsby, a distinguished and awarded novelist for teenagers. His novel Jedro’s Bane is set exactly in the
Home, Landscape and Me Read More »
Yesterday CBN handed over two copies of the Usborne Illustrated Dictionary and donated some English storybooks for the library at Sederberg Primary School in Clanwilliam. The Principal, Mr Barends, noted that they have a real need for books in English for their library, which is currently being revitalized. ‘The department tells us we should have
Dictionary Donation: Sederberg Primary in Clanwilliam Read More »
Thirty children from Grades 4,5 and 6 ( from 10-12 years old) started their own book revolution for National Literacy Day today. Stories were shared, books were introduced and presents handed out. CBN gave a donation of books to the library and every child went home with a story DVD or a book – or,
Cederberg Stories: The Children! Read More »
The smiles say it all! Elizabethfontien Primary School is over the Pakhuis Pass travelling towards the Tankwa Karoo from Clanwilliam. It is a school with no designated library, but books wherever they can fit them in. The donated dictionaries were welcomed enthusiastically – as was the idea of workshops with Children’s Book Network later this
Dictionary Donation: Elizabethfontein Read More »
Translation There is a desperate need for more mother-tongue reading material for South Africa’s children. This should ideally be stories written in local languages, but it could also include translation of much-loved stories. CBN will soon be launching a project in association with Rotary Skellefteå to translate texts from a variety of sources, including children’s work. More
Three copies of The Usborne Illustrated Dictionary were donated today to Clanwilliam Library. Librarian Lizel Koopman noted how useful they were going to be for the children who come to the library every afternoon to do their homework and research. This donation forms part of the ongoing relationship between CBN and Cederberg Municipality through the
Rotary Cape of Good Hope Dictionary Donation: Clanwilliam Read More »
5 September Library and school visits: Natalie Leens and Lesley Beake to introduce project to teachers and principals. 8 September (a Sunday) Literacy Day 9 September Literacy Day celebration: Stories at the library for 8-10 year-olds with a Cederberg theme. 10.00 to 11.00am: Lizel Koopman, Asanda Lobese, and Lesley Beake 10-11 SeptemberFarm school visits, weather
Cederberg Stories September Schedule Read More »
This article on homework and reading appeared first in the Cape Times – but is as relevant here as part of our occasional series on reading matters. Research conducted by the publisher Pearson last year indicated that children under eleven in UK spend three times as long browsing the web and watching TV than reading.
Considered words 2: Jay Heale Read More »
For some time now, CBN has been in deep discussion with Rotary Skelleftea in northern Sweden about ways in which they can help us to ‘Make Reading Cool’ – their suggested name for the joint project. Staring with emails, we proceeded rapidly to a face-to-face meeting when Sindiwe Magona and Lesley Beake visited Västerbotten County
Projects with Rotary Skelleftea in Sweden Read More »
When I was a child, in the ancient times, my Scottish primary school was probably one of the last schools to give up the idea of slates and slate pencils as a way to learn to write. We had little bottles of water to shake and rags to wipe out our mistakes. We had soft
Technology and story Read More »
CBN has been fortunate from the beginning in donors who simply wanted to help us get started and who have preferred to remain anonymous. When there has been a need for something – funding for the pilot workshop, money to cover printing costs; start-up costs for the website, funds have appeared. We are truly grateful.
Our thanks and gratitude … Read More »
From ASSITEJ – Dreams for the Arts In their August newsletter Yvette Hardie, Director of ASSITEJ, reports on a local Arts initiative Comments from distinguished South Africans on the importance of the arts in education. Sibongile Khumalo: Developing the young of this country through the Arts is a human right. Exposing the young of this
ASSITEJ South Africa – Dream for the Arts Read More »
Pedagogical Project “The Joy of Reading” Shoebox Sam by Mary Brigid Barrett Michigan, ZonderKidz, 2011
Pedagogical Project “The Joy of Reading” Enemy Pie by Derek Munson San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2000
Where would any of us be without friends? CBN is grateful that we have (possibly) the best in the world! One of the goals of CBN is to offer friendship to other organizations concerned with reading – many of which have been successfully working hard for decades. There is no need for paperwork, memorandums of
Friends of CBN in our early days Read More »
July has been a wet woolly time for the Red Hill Informal Settlement which faces straight into the icy North winds. At this time of year the sun reaches the camp at 10am but longer evenings give time for collecting wood for warmth and cooking. Building work on the Library has slowed with permissions and
