Their own little space to enter magical world of books
The Reading Nook– a space for young children to discover the magical world of books was opened last month. It is a passion project for Senior Lecturer at the University of Kelaniya’s Department of English Language Teaching, Dr Romola Rasool, who feels this children’s lending library and reading corner located on Averihena Road in Colombo 5, on the same premises as the Vinyl Cafe, will help children pick up the habit of reading.
She has been working on getting The Reading Nook organised over these past few years, and her No. 1 goal is to inculcate the reading habit in young children, and get them interested in different art forms from drama, painting, dancing to origami and puppetry.
As an English teacher and lecturer, she naturally would like to see young children improve their English reading, writing and speaking skills, but she mainly wants to see children enjoy reading and encourage their friends to get into the habit as well. This is why she insisted on creating a space that was as far away from a school environment as possible.
Every month, Romola plans to have an interactive session that will combine reading along with a specific art form in an interesting manner. At The Reading Nook’s launch on Saturday, February 19, prominent litigator Mokshini Jayamanne combined reading and storytelling with drama. Around 25 young children along with their parents attended this fun-filled programme.
It was important for young children to interact with other bookworms their age, so they can share their thoughts and feelings about the books they read, one parent had told her. Romola agrees. “For young children, this is important, because their school friends and classmates may not be interested in reading. So they need someone to talk about the books they read.”
At the moment The Reading Nook has around 1000 books, suitable for children between the ages of three and 18 years, from many different genres including non-fiction. Romola said many people offer to donate textbooks and other educational books and materials, but she explains to them that this is not the kind of library and reading space that she has created. “Children nowadays are so taxed at school and they have so many classes after school and on weekends, so I want them to enjoy themselves when they come here,” Romola said.
“I want the children to pursue seeking knowledge, even though I won’t be taking in academic material. But non-fiction books such as encyclopedias will be accepted,” she added.
While the reading space and lending library include books for children up to the age of 18, the interactive sessions are for children between the age of four and 14 years.
The next session in March will focus on reading and art, and in April the focus will be on reading and animated films.
In the coming months, Romola hopes to bring in professionals who will teach the children traditional arts such as traditional Sri Lankan dance and puppetry.
Romola is also keen on taking The Reading Nook and its interactive sessions to under-served schools in and around Colombo. In about three months’ time, she and her team of volunteers will head to a school in Wattala, where they will be conducting a monthly session to get the children engaged in reading and the arts.
The Reading Nook is open on Friday evening from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Romola is also looking for volunteers and those interested could reach out to her, through The Reading Nook’s Facebook page (The Reading Nook SL) and Instagram page (thereadingnook.sl).
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