The Joy of Learning: Project Day at Nandavanam
The Nandavanam Center for Learning recently celebrated a day of artistic prowess and educational enlightenment during its much-anticipated ‘Learning Delights’ event, their project day. Over 80 talented students took center stage, showcasing more than 150 exceptional pieces of art, crafts, and visual displays, capturing the hearts of parents, well-wishers, and staff alike.
The project day event, aptly named Learning Delights, featured an array of topics spanning English and Tamil literature, science, numeracy, and rhythm. Professor Raghuram of the Karna Vidya Foundation lauded the event, noting the accessible ecosystem and the dedication of both teachers and students: ‘This environment fosters a healthy learning atmosphere,’ he remarked, ‘with passionate teachers and inquisitive students.’
The event, meticulously planned and executed, featured a plethora of stations, displays and interactive elements, each meticulously crafted to reflect the school’s curriculum and the ingenuity of its young learners.
Promoting Literacy and Language Proficiency: In the Literacy station, the focus was on the importance of reading as a skill and understanding the structure of the English language, which included parts of speech, homophones, prefixes and suffixes, and compound words. The presentation was interactive, and the most inspiring model was based on ‘Kondiba – A Hero,’ a lesson from the English textbook for students of Class 10.
Cultural Showcase: Exploring Tamil Heritage: The Tamil station showcased the classical language with a model of Thiruvalluvar (Tamil poet and philosopher from 4th century BCE, known commonly as Valluvar), along with Olai Chuvadi (an ancient art form of writing on palm leaves) and Thirukkural (Thiruvalluvar’s magnum opus, a timeless classic text in Old Tamil language consisting of more than 1,300 couplets or kurals, professing words of wisdom on virtue, ethics, morality, wealth, love and much more). There was an interactive game called ‘Tamilodu Vilayadu’ (literal translation: play with Tamil) that focused on the different districts of Tamil Nadu and their specialities.
Journey through Social Science: In the Social Science station, students welcomed visitors with colourful maps in different colours and sizes, titled ‘Map of My Country’. These were made by students, each one depicting what his/her own country map would look like. This was to demonstrate their drawing skills and understanding of landforms. There were activities on freedom fighters, states, capitals, and religions of India.
Science in Action: The Science station had a live experiment for the visitors on air pressure, states of matter and energy identification along with posters on water cycle, diseases caused due to vitamin deficiencies and the human organ system. The visitors enjoyed the experiments and participated in them with childlike enthusiasm.
Unlocking Mathematical Concepts: This section welcomed the visitors with philosophical quotes on the integral aspects of maths in everyday life. There were many manipulatives regularly used by teachers to teach maths. The visitors experienced Maths in the most anxiety-free way, as it is the most dreaded subject of all.
Celebrating Artistic Expressions: The Art section was an exhibition of artwork curated by the children themselves. The children had chosen artwork from their own paintings, and had titled and categorized them under the various display sections. The room was filled with colours, which were expressions of the children’s emotions and depicted their joy. The visitors leisurely looked at each piece of art to decipher the depictions. They also got to create fresh pieces of art in collaboration with the students.
Entrepreneurial Ventures: In the Crafts section, students showcased their creativity and skills. They had set up a shop with products created by them as a part of their ‘Learning to Be an Entrepreneur’ programme. Items of jewellery, handmade by the students, drew a large number of visitors who went on to purchase them to encourage the students.
‘Hum-Drum’ Session: This session was conducted for the visitors to help them experience one activity out of the many from the students’ morning circle. Each participant was given a drum, and they had to beat it, following the rhythm to create music.
Delightful Moments: A photo booth was set up for visitors to get their pictures taken; this and the collective painting sessions were the most enjoyable for the students, teachers, and visitors. The visitors especially participated with great enthusiasm and expressed their joy. It was delightful to see their active participation and interaction with the students. All the participants were served refreshing buttermilk, an energy booster, on a hot summer day.
Tree Plantation: The day’s programme concluded with a tree- planting session, where the visitors planted trees along with students of the learning centre as part of ‘neighbourhood beautification’.
The whole day was memorable, with students showcasing their learning with confidence, teachers, and parents feeling proud, and well-wishers and visitors joyfully recalling their learnings through their interaction with students.
The Nandavanam Center for Learning is dedicated to fostering holistic development through innovative educational practices, nurturing students to become lifelong learners and responsible global citizens. Through a blend of academic excellence and experiential learning, Nandavanam empowers students to realize their full potential in a supportive and inclusive environment.
