Monthly Archives: February 2012
Colorful Classrooms and a great Schooling Experience
- Our curriculum is especially infused with regular art and craft classes . Street –children are restless, sharp ,impatient but enthusiastic and energetic and their attention span is short.
- Preparing them for school readiness and integration, instilling a readiness to learn,establishing safe habits ,good values in addition to literacy and numeracy is challenging and the danger of alienation is constant. ‘This kind of life is not gonna work for me’ is an ever present apprehension so HOW we teach and initiate them into schooling is critical to their retention.
- Art has no boundaries of verbal or written learning, unlike reading ,writing or numeracy where the learning gaps are very wide so art lessons are fun and full of eager learners. It seems like play but it is creative therapy for our students who live very precarious and harsh lives. Using crayons, finger printing,moulding, kneading play dough etc builds fine and gross motor skills, tactile and textural knowledge and most of all fills the child’s need to explore, create, and play.
- Crafts stimulates the child’s mind ,enhances multiple intelligences and makes children focused, motivated and more engaged . It builds confidence, expresses individuality and gives a sense of accomplishment.
- A puppet theater is used regularly for adding humor, role play and story telling to make learning joyful infiltrate emotional coping skills through skits ,songs and games.
- The language and pictures of worksheets and lessons is continuously bi lingual and adapted to the childrens’lives and socio cultural background with music, both vocal and instrumental uses liberally and regularly to great advantage.
On the 24th the time was ripe to celebrate the festive season and an excursion cum picnic was planned to Chatbir Zoo some 40 kms away.3 busloads left, full of excited children, who covered every bit of things to see in the zoo and ate chips, choclates, biscuits and ladoos to keep the fun and energy meter running! 3 busloads of tired but very happy children returned in the evening,
All festivals are celebrated with lots of craft, art ,music and treats. The purpose is a chance for the children to have fun and develop an inclusive respectful awareness of all religions ,customs and traditions.