Reading Challenge 2014 by the British Council along with the Reading Agency had yet another exciting and vibrant theme. The “Mythical Maze” was an amusing theme that explored the ancient myths of the world. As the Reading Challenge had always required – it was time for Mythical Maze participants from ages 7 to 15 to take up the challenge of reading 6 books within just 6 weeks. The journey through the Mythical Maze began with an introduction session conducted for participants and parents alike on 9 August 2014. It was on this same day that the participants were first introduced to the exciting book collection only open to the Mythical Maze. The books in this collection were a set that was carefully selected to match the theme for this year, and was further divided into 3 age groups to make the task of reading much easier and child friendly.
The Mythical Maze participants were a great bunch of book lovers – as it was clear from their eagerness to read their way through the challenge as best as they could.
A workshop on Creative Writing was conducted by a very recognized, talented and humble author – Mrs. Prashani Rambukwella. There were 5 sessions of this workshop that ran on the 25th of August for 5 different sets of Mythical Maze participants. The children learnt how to create a mythical character, and how to give their own imaginary characters some flare. The session gave the participants some confidence to think outside of the box and to channel their inner creativity.
On the 7th of September, a workshop on Cartoon Drawing was organised for the Mythical Maze participants. These sessions were conducted by the famous and award-winning cartoonist - Mr. Gihan de Chickera. The children were excited as they were given a small glimpse into the eyes of a cartoonist as they too drew up their whimsical mythical creatures. The participants collected their Mythical Maze branded bag after returning their 3rd set of books as a sign of reaching the halfway mark.
British Council will celebrate the Reading Challenge’s successful and fun journey on a high. This celebration goes hand in hand with Children’s Day and the Mythical Maze participants are invited to join the event on 1 October 2014 accompanied by 1 parent, at 6.00 p.m. at the Library premises. The evening will include Mrs. Prashani Rambukwella hosting a Book Reading session from her very own book, and also a fun skit. Mr. Gihan de Chickera too will be a part of the evening where the participants will witness the magic of his free-hand cartoon drawing.
Every participant will receive a certificate and medal on completion of the challenge at the point of registration. The ten fastest readers of the two age groups (7-10 years and 11-15 years) will be presented with their certificate and gold medal on this day.
The British Council Library warmly thanks each and every participant and our skilled facilitators in this year’s Reading Challenge and hopes that the Mythical Maze was a fun and amazing ride to go on.