Hamara Mela
At Shikshantar, ‘Hamara Mela’ is always about sharing the school’s authentic practices and knowledge with its extended family of parents and friends. This time too the mela held in the school premises on 14th October ‘23, was around themes chosen by the children. The children of grades I to IV chose themes around the central idea of 'Our World of Discoveries’ and those of grades V to VIII chose themes related to the topic ‘STEM - Exploring the Harmonious Fusion of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.’
The entire event was a reflection of the school’s philosophy and curriculum, and at the same time gave a feel of a mela. It was a delight to share the journey of the students’ conceptualisation of themes, their preparations for the experiential corners, sourcing of raw materials and even going on to facilitating the corners themselves on the day of the event.
The inherent love to discover and learn was visible all around us in each and every experience. As we entered, we were taken by surprise at the beautiful and colourful butterflies made by Class III children displaying their ‘Origami’ skills. They used palm trees, stones and things from nature around them to create a world of insects. We then moved into the world of Class I children who amazed us with their mathematical maze and also stories narrated by them using props they had created for the purpose. Moving into the corners facilitated by Class II children, parents, didis, friends and family got an exposure to traditional Indian board games like ‘Ashta Chamma', fascinating arts and weaves from our country and also a quiz related to India.
The corner ‘दिशाओं की दस्तकारी’ reflected the colours and vibrancy of Indian folk arts, created with finesse by Class IV children who not only explored these themselves but also gave a lovely exposure to the visitors of art and craft forms from different states of India like Kantha, Kalamkari, Chikankari and Applique work of Pipili etc. Their explorations of these traditional arts adorned the walkways.
The corridors of the school were enlivened with clay work made by children as part of their art explorations. These were showcased as beautiful wall scrolls. They also shared the discoveries made by them through the process, “Didi we discussed in the group that a butterfly lays hundred eggs, and look I am making tiny eggs on the clay leaf.”
Children of Classes V to VIII gave a peek into the depths of their scientific temperament. ‘Light and shadows’, ‘Elements and compounds’, ‘Machines’, ‘Exploring scientific concepts’ these were some themes they explored. There were experiential corners with opportunities to explore a science theorem/principle, such as a pinhole camera/periscope or try one’s hands at a simple machine like the traditional ‘Dheki’. Learning for the visitor was also facilitated through games, such as a ‘Ball launcher’, ‘The dart game’, ‘Pi string’ etc. Some children shared their ideas of a futuristic machine such as an airship which was not a fuel guzzler and scored through its usage of solar panels to sustain flight. Another captivating and engaging area for visitors was ‘Innovation Corner’ where students showcased models of their creative solutions to real-life problems like ‘Automatic Waste Segregation System’ - a smart dustbin that segregates waste or ‘Crystal Code Parking’ - a solution to the usual problem of forgetting the area of parked cars in malls and multiplexes’ etc.
Children used science concepts like distillation to prepare Rose and Tulsi extract in the school laboratories, which were bottled for the visitors to buy. Parents also enjoyed the flavour of breads made by the students in Home Science Lab while exploring the fermentation concept. A sneak-peak into the process of kajal-making was quite enthralling for guests.
Plenty of research, ample discussions and well-thought of project ideas were visible in the working models put up by the children. Their grasp on the topic was seen in the passion with which they facilitated their corner and the ease with which they answered queries.
All in all, it was a joyous and exploratory outing for all those who visited the mela that evening. Adults drew out the child within as they enthusiastically participated in the corners, swirling sportingly with a ‘matki’ on their head to the music of ‘Chirmi’ dance or getting their BMI checked by Class VII children. There was plenty of food for thought.
Along with unlimited experiences around STEM and ‘World of Discoveries’, parents and family members also enjoyed sumptuous bakery products and snacks and also bought books, pottery items, ceramic and crochet products to take back home as well.