Storytelling in the Sensory Garden

On Wednesday, May 22nd, amidst the lush foliage of the newly refurbished sensory garden on the Mamelodi campus, members of the Department of Library Services' (DLS) Community Outreach Engagement Team, along with Dr. Martina Jordaan, Head of Community Engagement Research from the Mamelodi campus, facilitated an engaging and educational session with a group of children and two teachers from "Suikerbekkies," an Early Childhood Centre (ECD) in Eersterust.

Led by our reader of the day, Lungile Rathepe, the children embarked on a journey inspired by Eric Carle's timeless tale, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Through the story, the children were encouraged to deepen their connection with nature and ignite their imaginations in our reading corner, transformed into an outdoor classroom. Each child actively participated in the storytelling process, with the narrative repeated and individual pages allocated for reading by them.

After the storytelling session, the children enthusiastically embarked on an insect hunt, searching for the friends of the hungry caterpillar hidden among the garden's colourful blooms and vegetable plants. Following this, Dr. Jordaan engaged the children in sensory activities, exploring different textures, scents, colours, and sounds within the garden environment. The sensory journey culminated in playtime, where the children interacted with innovative apparatus developed by engineering students as part of a community engagement module.

The session concluded with refreshments, where the children enjoyed pizza slices and mini peppermint crisp desserts. Each child also received an apple, as a reminder of a key element of the caterpillar's diet from the story, to take home.

This event aimed to provide a unique experience, focusing on touch, taste, and imagination. It aligns with the group's objective to use the art of reading, based on specific guidelines and principles, to engage children in storytelling sessions. To further promote reading, the school received a set of four books from the DLS.

You can view our outreach in action on Instagram through this link.