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What happens when u give freedom to children? No one to watch, no one to judge, no one to tell what to do. However every time I visit aarohi children I see lot of things happening there.

Same land, same group and same resources. The perspectives, explorations and learning were not same. In our way to Mettur, we stopped at few places to explore land. Few became philosopher while few became poet. Few chose to draw while few chose to touch and feel. Few chose to record while few chose to guess…

These words “Parents are Partners” was always hitting my mind, especially whenever there would be any event as “Manthan”, “Mela”, “Parent workshop”. In my initially years as facilitator, I was thinking that parents are actually partners – discussing, making decision together, communicating to each other, giving and taking updates, above all volunteering to participate in…

KAA preparation and departure photos. See them preparing for the bus ride, packing medical kit, preparing name list and pages, deciding route and directions, writing codes. And on the KAA day morning some are considering to go or not go at last minute, some are waiting, some are chatting, bags in waiting, some are loading,…

Thinking Skills are the mental processes we use to do things like: solve problems, make decisions, ask questions, make plans, pass judgments, organize information and create new ideas. Often thinking skills are taken as questioning. And questioning is taken as “question to answer? or restricted to “you tell, you decide, how you want to do”…

This began with someone asking “why to bring a child from sand area and put energies in making them involve in activities?” Enjoyment is not in bringing the child by force to session. Joy is not in making child do without any interest. Fun is not only in let play in sand area. Enjoyment is…

One of the question lingering in my mind “why only simply watering the plants, why not do more like measure the water, how plants grow and so on?” What is our role?To fish for themOr teach them how to fish So when they give water to the plants, what is our role – tell them…

At O campus we have been working with four buckets (in different forms) from the beginning. We believed in it and we worked towards it. The effect of other 3 buckets is seen directly on the fourth bucket (Self development). One is not different from other, all are different ways to learn and know myself.…

Goal setting is often confusing Why notI do what I want? I do what is comfortable to me? I do what I have been doing? Often we get resistance/doubts when it comes to doing with a difference (challenges) for myself why do I do it differently? why to set challenging goal? Why Set challenging goal…

The other day one child showed communication file to me, it was written that somebody in class is teasing me and I am feeling bad about it.Then I asked what do you want to do? what is teasing? We brought this topic in thought club. Kids responded as below Teasing is somebody putting me down…

Today Driver Mary and Conductor Nayana took I campus children on a day trip in a bus. What is a KAA trip, when is it happening, how many days, where are we staying…news and views on all of this were discussed. The bus was a 2×2 seater, having 20 seats. Bus did all the travel…

I was asked a quetsion “What is project?” Here is my journey with projects at O-campus When we shifted to O-campus, we were very excited with the opportunities it opened up for – we wanted kids to do everything – take part in gardening, exploring nature at campus, work in solar, work with water system,…

Freedom word sounds very liberating and often scary. the struggle comes when it comes to “freedom with responsibility”. I take freedom to use resource the way I want to, what about the responsibility to care for that resource? I take freedom to choose what I want to do (comfort zone), but what about the responsibleness…

Exam time is on at I campusFew children are going through an experience of exams. These children chose a subject or a topic a day in advance and they also decide the examiner too. So the children who appear for that particular exams come prepared a day in advance while the examiner comess with an…

It was the feeling of togetherness. It was the environment of comunity. It was the space where adults, children all were together, yet working independently. We began parent interaction (PCF) with a brief about 4 buckets, and how parents can use that to plan their day. Informed that campus care is compulsory, rest all is…

Someone expressed “I do not take initiative”Someone asked “what about curiosity?”Someone said “what is the happening at Aarohi, why the word discipline here?”Someone said “why to push a child to come in session who is happily playing in sand area?” I was ponderingDo we work with one image?What will happen if we start working with…

Prakrath joined us for live station. He is 10yrs old and he works with Insects, butterflies, frogs and snakes. He shared how he studies them, He also shared his tools and field books to study. We went around in the campus to catch butterflies and insects. It was PCF day for us at campus, some…

We were doing experiments with AIR. During the session I introduced the concept “cause and effect diagram” One child used the same concept in reflection, I did not correct him or changed anything. I do not want him to understanding now what I understand. I want him to try in many different ways and build…

Today it was my turn to take parent workshop. After thinking a lot, I decided to involve them in making lunch for us. We made Pasta. I could not stop myself when they asked “how to cut this?” and I replied “how do you want to cut?”Rest all story through the pictures below

Saw this video with kids in thought club – they saw without blinking their eyes. At the end – kids clapped. Reminded of movie Swadesh – in village children clapping after seeing movie. see video They liked itThey discussedThey shared “if you believe in you, you can do it”.Some pondered “how it can happen”Some shared…

Can air be a resource to learn? Yes it can!!!We discovered today in Floccinaucci. We were watching a video on “how to suck an egg in a bottle”.We also explored how hot and cold air creates different pressures.We also ponder on what all gases air contains and how do we filter oxygen from it.We also…

Children harvested first fruit from their own garden.

Last week I had interaction with House flies and Cobra at campus – both left me wondering “what else?” I have been thinking about mosquitoes at I-campus and thinking can we try “what else?” In both the interactions kids were part, sometimes passively, some times actively. They were around and involved in many ways. Till…

Aarohi is an action packed place. It’s hard to capture all the moments in words. This time I thought let my snaps speak. This week, one thing which left me inspired was the openness and energy of children. They pass immense energy to work. They are ready to explore, dance, try different materials, new ideas,…

We created our own speakers corner in Cubbon Park. Ideas, words and thoughts were being shared smoothly.Aarohi team went to Cubbon Park for outdoor to explore word intelligence. The objective was listening to each other. Children listened to each others ideas, conclusions, doubts, thoughts about current issues, civic issues, opinions about mythological epics.Children presented their…

Beliefs are funny things! You are absolutely convinced about them and willing to fight (or die) for some, unless someone/something challenges your beliefs. I was absolutely convinced that ‘Chotta Bheem’ was not a ‘good’ program for children. After all, look at it, there are a bunch of kids who tease each other, the protagonists steals…

In Manthan, one of the parent raised a thought on “gender bias” enviroenmt at Aarohi – Do kids work boys and girls group? Do they have girls can do and boys are this?” Shall we do something pro-actively to create a gender neutral environment at Aarohi? Shall we question when gender bias behavior is exhibited?…

Taking things in own hands….literally speaking

Open house at Aarohi in new year began with “what do we want to do in open house?’ I did not want to go with any pre-decide format, hence went with clean slate – no activity, no planning, only one quetsio in my mind “what we want to do in ope hosue, what is the…

Yesterday, for the whole day dana pani was occupied by carpenter ants (even during lunch hour). The design that they had (read my previous blog) was taking shape. When I went there in the morning I sawpieces glued together with fevicol. In the lunch hour that method was scraped and nailing was happening. In the…