About my life in Armenia, about being a mom and an activist, working for women's rights.
The challenges and benefits of raising a family in a post-soviet republic.
Finding a place, my place and calling it HOME.
Showing posts with label children's library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's library. Show all posts

19.1.13

Khnko Aper Children's Library


"We are homesick most for the places we have never known." - C. McCullers

It was too cold today to go skating at the open air skating ring near the opera, so we decided to spend some time at our favourite children’s library, Khnko Aper. Vayk, my son was very excited, he likes the big format books in French and the enormous chandelier hanging in the middle of the high ceiling between the staircase. The old lady who has been working at the reception since the soviet times shows him how the lights on that magical chandelier are turned on to gradually illuminate the whole floors.

14.4.10

Story time at the children's library in Yerevan



Yerevan has a very nice children's library situated on Teryan street in the middle of the city, called "Khnko Aper Children's Library". The old building is a legacy of soviet times and has ben renovated recently. It is a 3 floor building and each floor is divided to sections where books are classified by age/grade groups. If you have a proof of residency, the library provides you with a membership card and you are able to take out children's book for several weeks.
I used to go very often and take my kids to the story hours where "heqiat morakuyr" (the storyteller aunt) dressed in traditional costumes, in a very nice decor, would narrate different tales from Tumanyan and other children authors. You could find there a good selection of books and the area is very welcoming, even though sometimes the employees get very strict with children instead of encouraging them to touch and read the books freely. The second floor is reserved for foreign languages, where you could find a nice collection of children's books, albums and magazines in French, English, German, Italian and Russian. The library has also an audio section where kids could listen to music and watch Armenian cartoons. The basement is run by Konus(art center) where children can make crafts and where you could buy materials for handicrafts.

Lately, as part of celebrating "francophonie" in Armenia, storytellers from Belgium, Quebec and France  were invited to tell stories from other countries. The experience was magical, as the very talented story-tellers used music, singing and sound-effects to attract the children's attention on magical legends from abroad.