The morning of 6 December, 2019 was full of excitement for the students of class 4. They just could not wait to board their bus and head to the School eco farm! The bus ride was all about the children planning how they would spend the day there! Their plans ranged from plans like, “ We will first go say hi to the rabbits”, “ We will climb up to the tree house”, “I will sit in the garden”, “I will play on the swings”, “I will go spot vegetables”. The ringing the sounds of laughter and singing is all that one could hear. Seeing the kids so excited even the accompanying teachers were now eagerly awaiting their arrival at the farm and proceed with the carefully planned Eco activities. Little did the students know that a day full of activities had already been planned for them.
We finally arrived at the farm and since it was breakfast time, everybody settled down in the fresh surroundings for a quick bite. The children were then divided into groups and led by their teachers to explore the place. They gleefully greeted the the rabbits, chickens and the geese! Then followed the activities planned for a morning of ‘edutainment’.
English story telling was planned with a treasure hunt. Key words were hidden in the bushes and the young explorers were to spot them and then string a story using them. Concepts of measurement were recapitulated with the help of a ganit mala, where the kids were asked to measure lengths/ area and note these down.
Students then sat down to paint on plates carried from home as also a ‘warli’ mural on a farm wall. As suggested by one of the creative little artists, the border of the mural was painted using handprints of all the visitors! As they exclaimed, “ a painter must leave his mark”!
The students then participated in a jamming session with their music teacher Mr. Jibin playing the guitar. They sang popular melodies of yore that they had learned in class. They also learnt a new song, “ Believer.”
A musical nature walk followed. Some then went off to play football while the others took up the responsibility of ensuring that the park was left tidy. It was soon time for the children to pick some fresh produce from the neatly laid beds. They learned to differentiate between vegetables growing below the surface of the soil by identifying the leaves. It was a wonderful sight- watching the city children scream in delight as they carefully picked out the radish and spring onions. Most of them seemed to be ‘soiling’ their hands for the very first time!
Soon it was time to return to School. Not just the students but also their teachers wished they had a time machine and could turn the clock back. However like all good things, this wonderful farm day too came to an end. The students collected their things, picked up their bags of veggies and boarded the bus. They were a sad but were assured by their teachers that we would be back soon. On the way back to School the children chatted about how there was no pollution at the farm and how well the plants were growing because there are few people there!
The entire excursion was full of fun and learning. As teachers we yet again realised how invaluable experiential learning is for students.
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