Sharjah, November 11, 2025
“Do you like marshmallows?” asked Roula Hakim as she welcomed a class of primary schoolchildren to the “Hot Chocolate Spoon” culinary workshop at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025).
As the children gathered around three tables set up with paper plates and cups, wooden spoons, marshmallows and sprinkles, she instructed them to put on their aprons and hair nets. Each kid was asked to write their names on the small paper cups provided.
“Now, who likes chocolates?” Hakim, who is the instructor of the workshop, asked, and all the children raised their hands in unison. Each kid’s cup was filled with melted chocolate that was prepared by chopping chocolate chunks into small pieces and melting them in a double boiler until it reached a smooth and glossy consistency. The children used the spoon provided to mix it well before topping it with marshmallows and sprinkles. The cups were then transferred into a refrigerator to solidify the molten chocolate.
While the chocolates were sitting for a good 15 minutes, Hakim asked them about their favourite chocolate and the majority said that they loved the new rage in town, the chocolate with kunafa filling.
The wait was worth it and each child soon collected the chocolate marshmallow stick cup with their name on it; they excitedly peeled off the paper cup to reveal the yummy chocolate and placed it inside a small plastic cover and tied a ribbon around it. The interactive workshop was an ideal activity for the children on their day out from school, where they learnt to make a favourite sweet on their own. Skilldeer conducts a wide array of online and offline classes for children and adults including in photography, dance, cooking and public speaking.
Sharjah International Book Fair 2025 is a 12-day event, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) under the theme ‘Between You and a Book’. Visitors will get the opportunity to experience more than 300 cultural events led by 158 Arab and international guests, 750+ workshops in Arabic and English covering writing, editing, publishing, and creativity and 85 stage performances from 12 countries.
