Can a campus teach?

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Can a campus teach? Can living be learning?Yes, We believe a campus can be the very lap of learning. if it offers constraints to children which make them think, do, learn, and live differently.
A campus that teaches children to be self-sufficient by itself being self-sufficient: say, use water only from land and recycle all water. Using energy directly from the sun and the wind and if required pedal to light our lamps. Ensure that no waste is wasted – (everything is recycled) and much more such ideas
  • Bio Enzyme solution to wash basins and kitchen slabs
  • Soap nut and Shikaki solution to wash Utensils
  • Tamarind breaking and storing
  • Peeling Avarakai and exploring How to bring mathematical joy while peeling? Estimate, predict, guess the weight, observe the shape, use rhyming words, wonder biology of beans and so on.
  • Mixture of Borax, Maida, and Milk to act as Pest control (cockroaches)
  • Going for water walk at the campus to understand water filtration and water conservation.
  • Making gifts for guest as the need arises and learning from them.
  • Welcoming and taking a guest for a walk, Taking and receiving feedback from them. Accepting them the way they are 🙂
  • Limited quantity of food (sometimes more sometimes less)
  • Not easy access to market and planning each menu
  • Fitness as part of our schedule
  • Making forest line to make a safer place inside
  • Growing more to make it green campus
  • Being alert at every Elephant alarm, rescuing Snakes and giving way to scorpions
  • Campus training to explore how to deal with strangers
  • Living together with different people from cultures, different ages, gender, languages, economic background, needs and life experiences.
  • Segregating kitchen waste to suit biogas plant
  • Sleeping under the sky to beat the heat (no fans) in summer.
  • Watching people around working hard on land to grow trees for the next generation.
  • Dogs and Cats lazing around in the day time while we all are working hard.
  • Giving and taking feedback for self-growth
The Architectural Design of the campus is based on these three guiding principles:
Design to build less
Design to install and use fewer resources (like electricity, water, fixtures, furniture, etc)
Design to cost less (to us and to environment) – so use cost effective, sustainable, environment-friendly, local materials, which lead to less maintenance
The Design of the campus is based on these three usage requirements:
Socially inviting – Open and community culture
Emotionally cozy – Personal Spaces
Mentally and physically Stimulating – Interesting Architectural constraints and elements
Also
People from around the world who have innovated and created sustainable and sensible living spaces.
Children who like to get their hands dirty as they work and learn.
Local craftsman and workers – who are the soul of the local ecosystem where the campus is located.
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.

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