The Abu Dhabi Children's Library
One of the activities that our little homeschoolers have missed during this pandemic is going to the Abu Dhabi Children's Library. We used to frequent this place along with our peers in our homeschool coop before the lockdowns started in 2020. The kids enjoy it very much as it is not like other libraries where it is required to keep quiet, but instead, they have built several areas for age-appropriate plays.
We have shared our previous experience there here on Hive as well.
The lockdowns started after this visit and since then we were not able to come back until yesterday.
There are still health precautionary measures in place during the visit that anyone who wants to visit needs to keep in mind:
- A green pass on the Al Hosn App (the covid tracker app in Abu Dhabi) is required. Children below 15 years can enter without a green pass as long as accompanied by a qualified adult.
- Face masks are still mandatory inside the premises.
A Space Adventure!
The UAE launched it's own Mars Probe in July 2020. This ambitious project is highlighted on the ground floor of the Children's Library just next to the registration area.
They have these interesting installations of planets, most of them interactive that the kids really enjoy poking and pressing different buttons.
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We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship!
Another section of this Mars exploration floor has a simulation of a rocket ship.
"Mommy, I know what this is! It is just a screen!" Little Miss said.
Hello, Little Miss. Just please enjoy and do not spoil the fun. LOL.
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Even the automated door replicates a rocket ship door. Com'on! Let's go!
Same old exciting stuff
After our brief space exploration, we proceeded to the first floor where most of the small kids' books and activities are.
Little Miss and the Little Man busied themselves with these screws and gears for a while and eventually moved on to another activity. We also revisited the animal room which has a few aquariums with fish, turtles, and lizards in them. There were also fossils, dried snake scales, and even some representation scale of different small animal hearts like that of a fish, bird, and even a rabbit!
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Reading Time!
It is a library visit anyway, so we must dedicate a few minutes for reading. What's challenging about a library with this kind of set-up, we cannot really expect the children to focus, grab a book and read. There are just too many distrations that it is just better to borrow the books and read them at home.
Anyway, I managed to get them to sit for a while and read a big book. There are also lots of foreign language books like Arabic and French, biligual books like the one below - English -Espanol which interested the kids since they spend some time learning Espanol and a bit of French using Duo Lingo.
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Arts!
The second floor is dedicated for bigger kids. Here is where you can find the board games, even video games. Most of the things here are the same as when we last visited two years ago.
I sat on one of the tables where I read a book and let the kids explore by themselves. Little Man came to me a few minutes later to show their work. Apparently, they made animations by taking still photos that were captured by the computer and displayed frame by frame.
Little Miss got invited by another girl, who turned out to be a homeschooler too. They attended an art session while the girl's mom and I sat together and shared our homeschooling experiences, exchanged resources and even our opinions regarding the education systems in our respective countries and homeschooling.
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The Beauty of Homeschooling
Devindra, my new homeschooling mom friend, and I are both in agreement that homeschooling takes a lot of passion and yes, sacrifice but the benefits are what make us love the experience.
Learning does not happen only when a child sits inside the classroom but most of what we do is prepare them for real-world challenges.
I learned a lot from her especially local resources that I never knew were there. Hmm. I guess we've been hiding a lot in our cave during the pandemic. We need to step up a little to enjoy this journey more.
đź“ŤAbu Dhabi Children's Library
Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation
Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi
