Imagine Aarohi that is not a restaurant, rather a kitchen.
We have no dish to offer. We do not serve our children any learning on a platter. We aren’t cooking to satisfy the children.
We’re like a kitchen: Raw material and tools (resources) of all kinds are available. Children are challenged to cook for themselves, to create own learning, to explore, experiment for own reasons, to satisfy own hunger.
We have fewer plug points and more electrical items to use. This needs more plug points, so the session on understanding electricity, what’s inside the plug was natural to happen.Zeal to do a lot but the limited exposure of resources created the need to know about the resources, hence Resource Jatre was the perfect for our needs.The newness of Plaster of Paris created curiosity and desire to work with the material. No other better way to fulfill the desires to make toys for self. The desire to make was enough to explore making moulds, working with POP (plaster of Paris), carving the details and finally painting.Wanting travel safe and need to know about places created the need for travel and safety Jatre to explore what codes to follow in the group, what all to expect in the science museum.Bdays are great, they are even better when celebrated together. Making our own pizza added extra joy.One child is from Mumbai. “Where is Mumbai?” was the beginning of the exploration of maps, distance, legends, capitals, various kinds of maps like political, industrial, topography, power, kingdoms and so on.Needed knife stand in the kitchen to display all our knives. The process of designing was enough to see own creation on paper. The circle of Bamboo was enough to explore concepts of radius circle and periphery.The desire to work on stitching created the job of “Aarohi Tailor”. All repairs are done within 24hrs.The excitement to handle money led to accepting the challenging job of Accountant. Week one of the job was enough to explore money, bookkeeping, various expenditure at the campus, balance, money management, software like Excel and of course understanding Guest expenses.The job of system admin is full of surprises, one does not know where to begin when it comes to repairing laptops and understanding the vastness of the hardware/software.Our newly made slide got chipped off from sides. Mud and Cement were chosen to repair the sides. No better way to enjoy that slide which is repaired by self.Practicing Football and Cricket, organizing the job of Campus warden, Preparing for upcoming exam of NIOS for 10th standard, planning for business, working on campus Music jockey, Exploring science, working on construction, Making Mode, Trekking, playing, challenging self and breaking own record of Hullahoop, working on menu manager job, buying grocery, planning different sessions, researching for news across the world, reading in different languages, inviting own games were some of other activities which kept us alive.Together pondering in thought club about what action of mine disturbs others or what disturbs me, writing the daily journal to summarize the day, acting, taking interview of others to know them better, planning, peer planning, community sports and engaging in video games, playing a game of cards kept us involved with community.One child is designing own house. The idea of model making excited him. One sample house model made by one of us brought fresh energy in the process of model making and seeing the imagination alive.
Some kids worked by self, some asked for guidance, some tried by self, some took help, some were clear, some were confused, some were observing others, some were independent, some were engaged in conversation, some were pondering, some wanted to do continuously, some wanted to take breaks, some were inventing, some were following…we were around as facilitators. Sometimes doing our own work, while sometimes fully engaged with children. Nothing was taught, but a lot was learned as learning has no boundaries.