At SIBF, children build their dream house and eat it too

Walls made of ginger cookies, icing used as glue, and sprinkles and chocolates for decoration gave children at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026) everything they needed to build a house of their own, with one important difference: they could eat it afterwards.

During the ‘Mini Edible Dream House’ workshop during the fair, Lebanese instructor Amal Sabrawi guided young participants through assembling and decorating their own ginger-cookie houses, turning food preparation and decoration into a colourful exercise in creativity, patience and imagination.

Each child began with the same basic structure, but Sabrawi encouraged them to decide for themselves how the finished house should look.

“We give them all the freedom to imagine how the end result will look,” she said. “Every kid imagines the house in a different way.”

Sabrawi described the activity as a form of “edible art”, designed to make children more comfortable in the kitchen by presenting cooking as something creative and enjoyable.

“Many in the new generation are scared to go inside the kitchen, like it’s something very scary,” she said. “So we are making them familiar with this.”

Assembling the houses required care and patience. Sabrawi said the workshop is suited to children aged 10 and above, encouraging them to work carefully as they build and decorate their creations. Because building the structure takes care and time, Sabrawi said the workshop is suited to children aged 10 and above and also encourages them to practise patience.

For some participants, the finished creation becomes almost too precious to eat. Sabrawi said children often become so attached to what they have made that they choose to take it home intact rather than immediately tasting it.

Jeric, an 11-year-old Indian Grade 5 student, was taking part in the activity for the first time and said she enjoyed the experience. “The steps are fun. It takes a lot of time and practice, and it also teaches us to be patient,” she added.

She was still deciding how her house would eventually look. “It can be cute and tasty at the same time.”

Asked whether she planned to eat it when she got home, Jeric smiled and replied: “We’ll see.”