Best School in Gurgaon, Shikshantar School

Monsoon: Water and Rains - Pre Primary

The month of July, with its overcast skies, carries the promise of rain. Our young children of Vanar Years eagerly wait for it to rain, especially during school hours. They look up at the sky to spot black clouds, “क्योंकि black clouds बारिश लाते हैं”. When rain-bearing clouds elude them, they participate in ‘Oorja’ exercises or play in Vanar Vatika during ‘Choice time’, despite the sultry weather. “दीदी देखो मेरा पसीना drip drop करके गिर रहा है।”

Across levels of Sprouting Seeds, Nursery, and Kindergarten, rain and water-related experiences are explored by children. Children look forward to jumping and getting their feet wet in the water puddles here and there. Friends of Nursery groups further explored ‘wet on wet painting’ using puddle water and paints. On another day, they relished eating bhutta, the first experience of eating it straight from the Bhuttawala Bhaiya for some of them.

When it does not rain, children also look for ways to experience the coolness of water. “Didi, if we sit in the sandpit we will feel cool”, “If you splish splash water on face, you will feel ठंडा ठंडा, just like it is raining”. Children recall their past experiences of rain and share about the sounds they have heard and creatures they have seen on a rainy day. Their discussions also lead them to valuing every drop of water and exploring ways in which they can save it. “मैंने teeth brush करते समय बहुत थोड़ा सा पानी खोला”, “Rain होगी तो मैं water collect कर लंगी और उसको drink करूंगी”.

But on the day that it does rain, nothing can hold our children back from playing in it. While most get wet with abandon by jumping in the puddles, some bring out their raincoats and umbrellas to take a walk around the campus and soak in the drenched surroundings. Some friends sit at an open door or window singing their rain songs while busy drawing or painting. Every moment spent in the rain is cherished by children and didi/bhaiyas.

Magic with Pen – Class V

During the project 'Magic with pen ' a short story was shared with children which concluded that the life of the pencil may seem ordinary, but it holds valuable lessons about personal growth. ''Embrace your potential, sharpen your skills,embrace imperfections, leave your mark, stay resilient, collaborate, use your time wisely and reinvent yourself. Later, children wrote thoughtful write ups on 'Parable of Pen' to welcome the new member in their lives. A child wrote a beautiful poem which says, ''You will do great things only if you allow yourself to be shared. You will endure pain when your ink is refilled, but you will only become a better pen... Children gave closure by writing a goodbye letter to the pencil for staying with them like a true friend and always giving as a mark of beginning their journey in Class V where they begin to write using Pen.

Class– II Theme : Houses

During the nature walk in Shikshantar, children observed different types of houses that animals live in, such as ant hills, nests and beehive. Their curiosity arose as to know how are houses built and why. Looking around, they observed various buildings made up of different materials in different shapes and sizes. Children also interacted with their grandparents enquiring about the kind of houses they used to live in. They excitedly shared their observations and research with each other during the Circle Time. Out of school visit to the National Crafts Museum enriched children’s understanding about different types of houses and gave them a glimpse of how construction of houses depend upon weather and regional conditions and the landform/water bodies around them. Children came back with minute observations and logically reasoned the purpose of salient features of the houses such as slanting roof and stilts. Children;s senses came alive when they saw, touched and felt the coolness of the mud houses with folk arts depicted on the walls. Children’s imagination and curiosity took wings in the form of a creative write-up ‘मेरे सपनों का घर’ as all their dreams came true on paper. Finally, the children worked together and exchanged their innovative ideas to create 3D models of different types of Kuccha and Pucca houses. The aesthetic display of the houses near the fish pond area lent it a scenic charm. The theme culminated with an interactive quiz on the same with the children.