On Monday, CHwB organized the first Heritage Atelier for young children, in collaboration with the Soros Public Kindergarten in Gjirokastra. In total, 22 children and 3 teachers from the kindergarten attended this event, which aims to bring the children closer to heritage in a practical, entertaining and instructive format.
To start this atelier, the children were brought to visit the Hammam in Gjirokastra, at a place known locally as the “Seven Fountains”. For children aged 5 to 6, it was the first time that they encountered such a stone building with such an unusual “ice cream” shape. The children, the teachers and the heritage professionals from CHwB engaged in a very interesting conversation about the Hamam and its meaning over the centuries, about water and its value for human kind, as well as about Gjirokastra and its particular status as a Museum City.
The second activity was held within the kindergarten, when children started to work with the Hammam booklet provided by ChwB. This booklet was produced by ChwB as a part of the “E Ka Kush E Ka” collection, which seeks to include children and adults in a series of books and games through which they discover and rediscover cultural heritage. In the classroom, spirits were high as children, teachers and CHwB members recalled together the most important lessons from the visit to the Hammam and explored the content of the booklet. A coloring competition between the children closed this first Heritage Atelier and the four best young artists got heritage related presents… while all of them obtained from us a promise to return for another activity of this kind.
Check out a preview of the booklet the children used to explore the Gjirokastra Hammam:
Hamami Children’s Booklet (ages 3-6)