By Mrinal Badawe | Program Manager
Dear friends and donors !
Greetings!
We take pleasure to update you with a few activities held in the field . The two volunteers of Global Giving from U.K Hannah Sainsbury and Dan visited IDEA twice to study the Girl Effect project and the Holistic Development project. They understood the program in details by visiting the field activities to understand the program and the approach. They were happy with the progress of the project. IDEA has provided the sponsored and the study center children with the necessary school kit like school bag, notebooks and stationary in the beginning of the academic year in June 13.
Creative Learning in study centers
IDEA runs 23 learning centers in 14 slums from Pune city and Bhor taluka, Pune district to support the academic as well as overall development of the child. These classes are held daily two hours catering 3 to 14 years of age. The focus is to help children to have a strong foundation in Marathi (local language), Maths and English. We have introduced ongoing Science activity twice in a month for children from grade 5 to 7 and Art activities are held once in a week to retain the interest of the students in the class. We are presenting a brief report on the activities:
Usually children find it difficult to remember the science terms. The concepts are not clear. So we took up an innovative way to teach science. They are taught to make games, toys and then the scientific principle behind it is explained to them. In the last few sessions we have taught the children to make a simple bottle rocket using the principle of Air pressure, a game based on the friction, a polythene parachute applying the gravitational force and a rattle using the magnet. The children were so excited .
We got a wonderful feed back from a few children that they teach the same to their siblings or peers. Teaching makes them more perfect. A science competition based on their learning is planned in February2014. Children will receive exciting prizes!
IDEA planned the theme of CLAY ART in the month of August. Each study center has chosen one theme like fruits/vegetables/animals/toys etc.
Objective
The children learnt right from the mixing of the clay, giving shapes, finishing and coloring the model. The joy has no bounds after making a model on their own. A few elder children are taught the art. They will be the trainers for other centers.
Our team of social workers is regularly in contact with children and their parents. They identified the need to guide the parents of the adolescents. A counselor cum psychologist held a session for the parents on understanding the changes in this stage and the communication of the parents with them. The session started with introduction and the most common dialogues between the parents and the child. The counselor quoted a few examples of such dialogues seen in the families. This made mothers feel comfortable & relate the problem as in their family. The mistakes made by parents sometimes lead to so called “Problems” of the child. The most common problem is “Children watch TV for long time and do not study”. The mother has inculcated this habit unknowingly. The child when young is told to watch TV so that he /she are not a hurdle to her while working. The same child gets habituated to TV and watches it for long hours in his teenage and then this becomes a problem.
The parents slowly opened up and asked questions to the counselor on the current problems they are facing. The social workers were facilitating the group. The questions raised by parents were about the dressing style, spending too much time with friends, talking arrogantly to parents, overreacting etc. The parents felt a great support as they got guidance to their problems. Mrs. Asha mother of three children said, she will definitely give an ear and try to be a friend of her children. Mrs. Dhanashree who used to be worried on the increased irritability observed in her daughter, was confused how to deal with it and often had clashes with her. She said,”My tension has reduced. I was scared to share my problem with others from the community. I am happy to get Guidance from right person “
Thank you note from IDEA :-
On behalf of the children and their parents we are very thankful to you for your donation and looking for your continued support!
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