Paper Folding workshop

The middle school of Al Qamar Academy had a workshop on art and craft with Ms. Zeba Abdurrahman of Paper to Bag fame! She taught them to make some very funky stuff such as muffin cases, pom-poms, gift wrapping and origami boxes. The kids loved the workshop, as they had made their own boxes, bows, cases etc. At the end of the day they proudly carried home their work to show to their parents.

Visit to Parent Circle to understand magazine publishing

The 6th and the 7th grade students visited the offices of the Parent Circle magazine, a leading parenting magazine, to understand how a magazine is produced. This excursion was a essential for the children who are in the process of producing SUPERNOVA - their own school magazine. Watch this space for more on that.

Ms. Rangashree, the Creative Head at Parent Circle explained the key considerations it takes to produce a magazine - ranging from selecting an appropriate theme for the magazine, set up of the editorial team, garnering content, layout, budgeting and financial issues etc. Mr. Venkat, head of the design team fascinated the children with his account of how a "correct" picture is selected for the cover, the importance of blending colours and the need to unify artwork with the theme. Ms. Nitya explained the importance of the key things which make articles readable - consistency in fonts, no whacky styles etc. She even offered to help the children with their magazine.

We really thank all the editors and staff at Parent Circle who took out so much of their valuable time to give a detailed overview to the children and patiently answered their many questions. The children came back bubbling with information and advice and a very very clear understanding of a fairly complex process. Truly, the learning outside the classroom guided by field experts is long lasting and invaluable.

Visit to see turtle release

Al Qamar kids went off to Eliot's beach to bid goodbye to turtle hatchlings. Shravan from the SSTCN first talked about turtles, how they come back to the beaches where they were born, and the life threatening dangers they face from trawlers, plastic waste and predators. The children were absolutely thrilled to see the little turtles start their journey into the seas.

Moms lecture:" Importance of the psychic development of the child"

Mrs. Shobhna Vaidyanathan, from Centre for Montessori Training, spoke to the mothers at the Mothers Monthly meeting on the importance of the psychic development of the child.  She related how all human beings have basic needs and innate instincts which help them meet their basic needs. They have a need to explore and the adapt.  Children have this programmed into them and strive to fulfill their needs and develop themselves. However adult interference impedes their growth.  "Did any of you send your child for tuition to teach it to walk?" she asked the assembled mothers. "Then why do you feel differently when the child starts going to school? Children are born learners!" She spent a lot of time answering questions from mothers. She exhorted them to let children become independent and to help their growth by doing Montessori supportive activities at home.