On April 26, 2019, the monthly “Books are our friends, stories are our imaginations” children’s story hour took place in Montreal, hosted by Hamazkayin’s local Sanahin chapter.
At the beginning of the story hour, leader Meghri Bakarian invited the children to color the Armenian flag. After they were done coloring, the children proudly waved red, blue, and orange. Then, they took their seats in anticipation of hearing “Varag g’aytsele Hayastan.” The excited children, through the words of the book, were taken to their motherland: to the city of Yerevan, to Tsitsernakaberd, and to other historic places, learning about Armenian mores and traditions. After the story, there was some discussion and education about April 24th and why it is regarded as important in Armenian culture.
Next, with the assistance of Meghri, the children attempted to write stories of their own. Taking turns, each child added an idea or a sentence to the emerging story. With lots of imagination, and some help from the adults, the children managed to create three unique and fun stories.
At the end of the gathering, everyone proudly sang the Armenian national anthem.
