Children showcase their colourful hats at a hat parade
Alexandra’s children transform recycled cardboards into colourful, one-of-a-kind hats for a lively parade at the Children's Library on 3rd Avenue.
Children from Alexandra lit up the Children’s Library on 3rd Avenue with their very own handcrafted, colourful hats on May 13.
The event was sponsored by Kathy Berman and Clean City SA.
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Ntombizodwa Sithole, a volunteer at the library, described the event as a vision coming to life. She said she introduced the hat parade to help the children break free from the usual classroom routine. “I had a vision that why not have the kids do something creative instead of having them listen to me all the time, and also to show that learning is fun. So, they were expected to recycle cardboard boxes and use them to make hats and props.”
Observing that many parents were not always involved in their child’s learning, she wanted to rekindle the parent-child connection through the creative adventure of creating a hat. “Most parents, especially in townships, do not care… They do not assess their children’s performance to see where they lack and where they need help. So, we give parents an opportunity to have that connection with their children and to get to know what their child loves.”
Kgodisong Early Learning Centre won the competition, followed by Thandokuhle Day Care in second place, Agisanang Day Care in third, while Bright Stars and Abethungwa Day Care finished in fourth and fifth positions respectively.
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Carol Mkhalipi, a teacher at Kgodisong, emphasised the importance of such creative competitions. “We think if they enter competitions like this, in the future they will have confidence. They will not be shy to enter any competition; they will gain confidence.”
Parents also joined in the fun. Nokubonga Ndawonde, a mother of a child from Abethungwa, remarked, “I am just here to support my child because I think it is very important in building their confidence, and it also creates memories.”
At the end of the event, the children’s hats were judged on creativity. Mluleki Mpepha clinched first place, with Enzokuhle Lukhele and Gift Mamabolo following as second and third, respectively. In addition to winning prizes, some schools received books.
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