How do you get inspired while writing a children’s book? Every story I write takes its due time of research. For example, Abnaa’ Alqamar (Children of the Moon) is an informative picture book that teaches children the historical definition behind the names of the Hijri months. I consulted specialists in the Arabic language as well as went back to the official dictionaries to choose the simplest explanations. For Saadoon and Maymoon, it’s a story that speaks about the tragedy of loss and the tendency for children to use rage as an outlet, so I looked into using a non-human character as a foil to present it in a
lighthearted manner.
Bareed Almouallim is the only concept of its kind in Saudi Arabia. How did you come up with the concept? What motivated you while building the magazine? While working as a trainer at King Saud University and my work with the students in the field when they took their training, I had firsthand experience with the difficulties a teacher faces, especially in private schools. The teacher is required to be a writer, an artist, crafter and educator, and very few of them have
the energy to expound all the effort it requires. So I thought of making something teachers can use as a reference for their lessons and help them plan and execute them creatively, and the magazine was born. From there, it kept developing over 75 issues.
What are the difficulties you face running an educational summer camp? And what is the nicest experience you’ve had with it? My role in the camp is to design the program, train the employees, and supervise the execution. The difficulties are mostly centered on finding employees that are aware of the importance of their roles and believe in it. Afakir Li Akoon (I Think to Be) is a program that aims to improve the thought process of the children and to develop their set of personal and leadership skills so that they gain more confidence and ability. The nicest experience I had involves practical application and behavioral change. We had held an experiment that involved the pillars of DESTINATIONRYD.COM 19