Nowadays children who have no opportunity to exercise sport, or cooking will be able to change their lifestyle during the summer vacation of 2010.
Jeddah has now become very popular with its clubs and centers for children. Even schools are offering special summer programs for their students. They are also ready to receive children from outside.
Reading, discussing and writing skills are important for students’ education. Numerous clubs are offering services to develop these skills in Saudi Arabia. Maharat (skills) Center is now presenting new programs to develop reading, writing, and discussing skills. “We are teaching the children new reading skills, teaching them how to write stories, how to narrate stories, summarize and discuss,” said Iyad Nimer, educational specialist & enrichment programs coordinator.
He added, “Children between 7 to 11 can join us starting from July. Our summer program continues for a full month.”
According to Nimer, special supplements will be issued weekly; this supplement contains the students’ written stories, news, activities and articles.
“Every Wednesday we will arrange a trip to a special scientific location, expo and museum. Sport also will be one of our main activities. These programs aim to develop general skills as well as exposing children and students to a variety of cultural and social exchanges. Some programs aim to familiarize children with their general environment; others cover areas such as health, growth and development,” added Nimer.
Some of the summer program focuses on children who are close to adulthood.
“From Childhood to Adulthood is an example of a program designed to help teenagers understand the different phases they go through physically, psychologically and socially,” said Nimer.
Nimer states, “All enrichment programs are prepared and presented by Educational Specialists trained and specialized in developing talents, discovering skills and abilities of children of all ages. Such programs provide the grounds for talents, skills and abilities to flourish, therefore, allowing children to reach their full potential.”
Another center called V.I.KIDS has prepared enrichment programs to develop various cognitive and academic skills as well as abilities of children of all ages.
“Our aim is to mix learning with fun. Children between 3 and 10 can enjoy these programs that cover a wide range of topics from the academic to the social and entertainment issues. This all takes place in an environment, which is recreational, educational and enjoyable, far from the school routine and its stress,” said Rozan Saber, V.I.KIDS director.
She added, “In addition to the activities such as playing, sport, swimming, and cooking, we are planning to teach the children how to take care of their health. Students will be able to have new healthy food systems. They will be able to eat fast food that has been cooked in a healthy way.”
According to Saber, “The center will arrange celebrations, where they are ready to hold birthdays, parties, graduation and a success ceremony.”
“All the participants will undergo several lessons such as art, cooking, swimming, movies, Arabic language and pronunciation, and English language,” said Rasha Al-Ramahi, summer program supervisor.
According to Al-Ramahi, the six weeks program started in July and will finish a few weeks before Ramadan. “We have registered 70 kids in our summer program. Those children will be divided into groups. The most attractive courses are the pizza cooking, vegetable salads, fruit salads, and drawing,” she said.
Students will study how to read Qur’an, so they can develop their skills before going back to school.
