Cape Town – Most 7-year-olds have an unending thirst for knowledge and an innate curiosity and excitement about things in the world, child experts say.
They are natural explorers, scientists and analysts, and enjoy showing younger children skills that they themselves have mastered.
The lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic, of course, have severely impacted children’s lives and their mental and physical health. It’s become a world where fear and restriction, to varying degrees, abound.
But for 7-year-old Elijah Swartz, from Gauteng, a sense of exploration never ceases, regardless of the circumstances. Even the better when you can share your experiences with a wider audience.
With his parents’ assistance, this has resulted in him launching his own YouTube channel on January 17, 2021, Stay and Play with Elijah. His exploits are also posted on Facebook, where children (and adults) can ’’follow Elijah as he takes you to safe places to visit around Gauteng and South Africa, and things to do at home’’.
He has already uploaded five videos on his YouTube channel, varying in length from just over two minutes to more than 13 minutes. Yesterday he uploaded Rainy day experiments: How to make a lava lamp, with previous editions including Elijah holding a tarantula, baby crocodile and anaconda; Jenga Blocks with Elijah: Things to do at home; Elijah visits the Upside Down House: Harties; and Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Keep Your Kids Busy at home.
Last week Elijah visited Bounce at Fourways Mall, the staff were amazing, and went out of their way to help. The...
Posted by Stay and Play with Elijah onThursday, January 21, 2021
Last week, Elijah visited Bounce at Fourways Mall, getting rid of excess energy on the trampolines, which were sanitised after each session.
Goodthingsguy.com reported that the avid follower of other child influencers his age on YouTube decided he also wanted to make a positive difference in other kids’ lives.
It was also sparked by Elijah’s parents finding new and different ways to explore their surroundings and province during lockdown. Proficient in the use of a cellphone, Elijah started asking for his parents’ phones to record their experiences, adding entertaining voice-overs to the video footage.
In November last year, he drew a rainbow on a piece of paper, with the words “Stay and Play with Elijah”, cut it out and stuck it on a white T-shirt and informed his parents that he created a logo for his prospective YouTube channel.
They helped set up a YouTube account for him, with Elijah now able to enliven kids’ lives with regular uploads of his exploits.
For the Swartz family and Elijah’s growing fan base, lockdown has been transformed into a positive experience.
IOL