Celebrating interdependence this week at Aarohi.But what is Interdependence? How is this different from depending?We often talk about being independent, but do we really exist in isolation or independently? You musthave heard about the independence day but not interdependence day?
One child said, “I am good with drawing and with my efforts, I can excel in doing whatever I want to do?” We asked questions”Is it only your efforts which will help you to excel or so many others will play a role in your excellence? Someone who is cooing for you, someone who invented the pencil, someone who bound that drawing book for you, someone who grew that tree for you to draw and the list is long”. We all are interdependent. We don’texist in isolation. Our skills don’t exist in isolation – we don’twin alone, we also don’t lose alone. We exist because of each other!
We talked, planned and reflected with interdependence. Just a simple change in a sentenceconnected with the world around us”Today I, my tools, water, mud and four hands are working on plant circle”. It’snot about “I am working on plant circle” but so many others who are working with me to make this plant circle happen.
Imagine, Aarohi as space, designed to offer a child the very essence of interdependence – we all live as equals, we all live together, discuss and decide together, spend the time to understand how other people, places, things – interplay in our lives. From appreciating the role of ants in our buildings to coexisting with snakes to learning from and teaching all around us – inviting you to experience this open-learning-campus.
I ask children, do you see a cloud in your notebook and they say no. And I tell them, hey the cloud cried one day and rained the earth all and little seed got some water to grow into something really tall. Then a woodcutter cuts it down and a factory pulped it out and made it into paper that the binder stitched and the shopkeeper sold it out.And the children, they say, yes uncle now we see the cloud in our notebooks.So, I ask them how could we live an independent life. And in chorus they reply no live no live, we live only interdependent. Read more about teaching interdependence to our kidshttp://aarohilife.org/resources/teaching-children-interdependence