Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Chris Riddell visits Belfast pupils to encourage doodling, drawing and visits to school libraries
Chris Riddell, author, illustrator and the former Waterstones Children’s Laureate paid a visit to pupils in East Belfast as part of the BookTrust NI author tour to help inspire a love of reading amongst local primary school students.
Riddell, the author of the Goth Girl series, shared stories, illustrations and sketches in a workshop with 90 P5 pupils. Each student was also given their very own personally signed copy of a Chris Riddell book of their choice. Pupils picked from Goth Girl and the Sinister Symphony, Doodle a Day, Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse and Ottoline and the Yellow Cat.
The tour, organised by BookTrust, the UK's largest children's reading charity, is supported by Arts Council Northern Ireland Lottery Fund to help young children develop a love of reading and books.
Leza Dunlop, Elmgrove PS Literacy Coordinator said: “Elmgrove Primary School are absolutely delighted to have had the very talented author and illustrator Chris Riddell visit P5 pupils and staff. We were all very excited about learning from such a gifted and prize-winning writer. The children were so inspired by his visit, he left them bursting with ideas which they are excited to continue to develop. We are extremely grateful to BookTrust and the Arts council who facilitated such a special event.”
Liz Canning, Head of BookTrust Norther Ireland said: “Author visits are so crucial to inspiring children to read from an early age. Seeing Chris in action, doodling and sharing stories was fantastic, it was great to see the children enjoying the session and genuinely having fun with the stories, proving that reading really can be just as fun as playtime.”
Damian Smyth, Head of Literature and Drama, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: “Artist visits like this are a fantastic opportunity for pupils to meet a successful writer or illustrator and gain an insight into their creative process. Today’s workshop with Chris Riddell has been a great success - inspiring the children to start thinking about developing their own stories. The Arts Council is pleased to support Booktrust NI in promoting the value of reading to young people across Northern Ireland.”
After a busy day of entertaining local primary school children, Chris then went on to meet literacy coordinators at CS Lewis Square in Belfast. The network, formed thanks to a partnership through Eastside Learning met with Chris to talk the challenges they face.
On Thursday, Chris, currently chair of the School’s Library Association, spoke at the annual SLA NI Conference discussing the importance of school libraries and how crucial they are to help encourage of readers and inspire children to choose creative paths.
Chris said: "I had a wonderful visit to Northern Ireland, full of highlights. Talking and drawing with the children of Elmgrove School in East Belfast was a pleasure made even more memorable by encountering a view of the Green Way with the cranes in the distance framed by mountains. I also loved meeting Aslan, the Witch, and Mr. Tumnus in C.S.Lewis Square and talking with literacy co-ordinators in the beautiful centre overlooking it. The following day I met many familiar faces from my visit to Stormont last year. Passionate and articulate school librarians at the SLANI conference made me very welcome but also made me even more aware of the challenges facing libraries in our schools and in the wider community. I will take these memories away with me and look forward to returning again soon to make new ones. A big thank you to Book Trust NI, the Arts Council and Queen's University for hosting me."