Category: Blogs

This session was to explore ones strengths and key qualities. Each kid was shared a sheet with different strengths and they were asked to draw a flower around the strengths that they possess and to draw a circle around any strength that they wish to have…. Then they used those strengths to decorate a picture…

Kids were involved in various projects at campus – we announced DEADLINES to finish. This created another opportunity to understand self – how do we respond in various situations. Some found it difficult, some took it as challenge, some were focused and determined, some gave up, some continued the way they have been working, some…

Week began with many promises, many opportunities to work and get indulged into. Laura and Phil visiting from Canada, Phil is videographer and wanted to make movie on community, Laura is primary school teacher and into music, wanted to make music with kids (may be a song). Various project were lined up- Starting with wattle…

Few months back we began running. There was mixed response – we all liked running and the freshness after running but many of us expressed ‘laziness to get up’. We have been working on our stamina in various forms, and various people who visit Aarohi further inspire us to continue our journey. Dhanya joined us…

Crazy Aarohi song – written, sung and enjoyed by aarohians. Laura joined us for a week at campus. She shared her love for music and we together created a ‘Crazy song’. Lyrics were written, music was composed, instrumnets explored and we sang many times in many forms. Thank you Laura and Phil

Lizards rating at Aarohi is very low, like any other place, lizards receive “ooh, yuck….” Treatment. In principal we respect all inscete but we lizards still makes us run here and there. Well, while we do not run with kids, we encouraged one of the child to take up understanding about lizards in campus training.First…

Watch the video to see how learning happens -OBSERVING, TRYING and ENJOYING This child (1.5 years) was at campus for a week, she would go around, observe people and do things on her own. She would reach out to her mother as and when she wanted comfort.She is no exception, watch each child to learn…

Bamboo frame work is ready.The walls are ready to receive mud fillingwe are ready to play and enjoy making our own walls 🙂Never knew we have the power to make our own spaces, create our own walls and use very basic material. We do not claim to be sustainable or eco-friendly, we never started with…

Ability to cook basic food is a basic skill. Some of the kids who wanted to acquire this skill, started with cooking chapati in our kitchen.Each one did it in Different timings, Different quality, Different mistakes, Different solutions, Different methods. Some found dough making tough, some found rolling and while some found roasting tough. They…

Basic skills are needed to live our life. Remember most of these competencies once learned or mastered do not need further work (just like you do not need to learn reading or swimming again). While life itself is deriving what one needs to live life, life does not define HOW you need to learn. One…

It was easy to see – thin slices of Thermocol, fold them and fly! It looked easy, but when we heard the story behind making of glider, we were in awe with the patience and creations behind that.Rajesh and Nihar who were working on this project, shared with us how they made their own Thrmocol…

Aarohi campus is situated in foothills, that allows us to have panoramic view as well as bring the challenges of forest fire. This year like any other year month of March was hot and had possibility of forest fire. This time we started our preparation a month in advance to understand. After doing many surveys…

Rameshwaram isan historic place with full of temples and beach anda crowded place . We enjoyed the view of beach in the night. We experienced glimpses of snorkeling and viewed corals , sea cucumber, sea lotus, etc. The person who took us for snorkeling shared that he would value satisfaction of children than money children…

Each year we visit Police station, just like that. Each year we come a bit closer to our own images of some people (profession). At the police station they shared how they work 24 hrs, what is juvenile and how their are different kids of sessions courts. Some were hesitant to shake hands, for some…

WHAT A REASON TO LEARN. Thepurposeof life is to havepurposein life. Saw these two pictures in Vistar, Bangalore.

One of the parents who was visiting campus, felt the need of toilet around kitchen area. They decided to make one. As they shared “we felt it would be an hour job, but as we started working we realized that there is so much goes in anything you make”. It took them two days to…

The journey of fore extinguisher started when we started exploring fire and safety from fire. After many trials, experiments, we made one of the home made fire extinguisher. We also realized that also gets expiry. We understood what is expiry and why? We explored what are the different chemical reaction? Why it extinguish the fire?…

Android, Server, Email, Face book, Ipad….these are some of the common vocabulary our kids are exposed to. But what does that means? Anup who was travelling with kids in the train to reach campus, heard kids discussing about them vehemently. Anup announced a session to understand technology. Some were confused (they have been talking so…

If you have a microwave which is not working, what you do? Open it, See it from inside, share with others and find more about it….no need to reassemble, use the parts in many different ways or just let them be like to wonder ‘what is inside?”

First aid is often left to hospitals and we are left with panic and feeling helpless in case of any emergency. At Aarohi, we consider this as a basic skill, almost as important as knowing basic ability of reading and writing.Each week we spend time in knowing about first aid and various medical emergency. Rubal,…

Manthan at Aarohi is another opportunity to get together and live together as a large community. Thank you all who could make for Manthan and play Kabbadi and of course added value to growth of Aarohi with your presence. Add your thougths, if anything is missed out Here are some snippets Aarohi review team tried…

We have been designing many things at campus, why not our own spaces and why not our own FOREST? Samiksha the session on designing space with this thought.It began with knowing our own place and questioning what do we have and what we do not have?” It was about understanding our own space, the place…

ALL members in the group -Tie a piece of string to their own waist,The other end of ALL the stings is tied to a pencil.Now together (with handsfoldedbehind – so that we don’t use them) – we try to put this pencil inside the bottle SIMPLE! Do it in a group and discover the joy…

Often we use things but are not able to connect with them or not know what goes behind them And in the process many times we also distant ourselves with many things assuming ‘we cannot do this’.Santosh shared his love of mapping and willingness to share with kids. When he came to campus, we had…

Saurabh joined to share his passion of sketching, He arrived to the campus by cycle and that was enough for us to get interested in knowing his cycle journey. And then began sketching session, it was not only sketching but was also about ‘exaggerated sketching; and we got introduced to ‘caricatures’. We see caricatures, we…

Visit to cold pressed oil mill. We saw different machines used at mill – one for coconut oil, one for cooking oils, one for making powder from seeds. We saw the process of making coconut oil and making shikakai powder from seeds. They also shared that waste generated from coconut is sold for cattle and…

People who visit Aarohi from few hours to few days/ months, inspire us deeply. We simply learn from people. Some of the kids who are into automobiles and speed and race and road travel were enthralled when Ashir shared about his jeep which he has modified to travel long distance. Some of us who are…

Alabhya Singh, visited campus and mesmerized us with his yogic posture, his life style and his thoughts. He follows sun calendar, he eat two meals, he does not use artificial light (so what it is from solar), he understand his own body cycle. When he works he works, when he talks he talks 🙂 Apart…

Akka expressed “today It was too much work”. The community sat to create a comfortable space for Akkaa. Next day was announced as ‘Aaka day”. We cancelled our field trip, and all just worked for two extra hours to do all our chores for which we we depend on Akkas. Akkas were pleasantly surprised and…