Excursions and Visits

Frequent excursions and visits to different places form a very important part of life at Eklavya School. They give students an opportunity to learn about and see different parts of the states and country. The kind of exposure and learning from such outings is unmatched by anything learnt from books or other secondary sources.

The tiny-tots of class 1 visited the zoo as a part of their theme topic "plants and animals". They were thrilled to get a closer look at the natural habitats of plants and animals. Some other visits by class 1 students were to the post office, a tractor ride to the village lake, Gandhi ashram, museum, etc

Class 2 students visited the Vishala museum. The primary objective was to observe changes that take place from one generation to the other. It helped them gain a certain perspective on history and some understanding of the concept of change. Students were excited to see various ancient objects there. One of them remarked, "we came to know that our grandparent’s were more intelligent than us"! The students also visited the dam, municipal nursery, historical monuments and an ice cream factory, etc.

Students of class 3 visited the ‘Times Of India’ press to gain a deeper understanding of the print media. They came back with a lot of insights and did a group project of making a newspaper on their own. The students also had a stargazing session as a part of their study of the universe. Some other places visited were to the Sabarmati river, botanical garden, Milk dairy, paddy fields, etc

Class 4 visited a rural school to get a deeper understanding of the kinds of schools and the different methodologies used. One of them remarked "they don’t have anything in the school yet they study so much and enjoy too"! Some other places visited were the planetarium, step wells, community science center, Doordarshan Kendra, etc.

Students from the middle school visited ‘Lothal’ to gain a deeper understanding of the early civilization. They also visited ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) to understand the functioning of the organization and Indian satellites. The visit to the Sabarmati jail definitely set them thinking.

First Aid

Class 5 onwards students get trained in basic first aid. Practical sessions are taken by trained professionals for students of class 5 onwards in basic first aid to be provided in case of any eventuality. They are given information on areas like first aid and dressing, bone and joint injuries, vomiting, burns, nose bleeding, insect and snake bites, etc.

These are carefully crafted programmes of outdoor experiences in a series of sequential and cumulative modules to make the students environmentally sensitive and sensible. Through multi-sensory learning experiences consisting of activities and games, the students are taken closer to nature. The modules are designed to change their perspectives and motivate them to take action in terms of reducing their impact on the earth.

Camping activity starts with the students of class 1 itself, with a day’s camp and gradually increases to a duration of four nights and five days for the students of class 8. Students learn a lot more from nature trails, trekking, activities and games than what they can through just reading in a textbook.

Excursions

In addition to the annual camps, excursions are also arranged for the children during the summer and the Diwali vacations. Holidays spent in the lap of mother nature, where the textbooks do not burden their minds but their souls are set free in to the horizon of unlimited knowledge. This has given the students a golden opportunity to visit various places such as Pachmarhi, Sikkim, Sawai Madhopur and Ranthambor wild life sanctuary, Ranikhet and Nainital, etc. Apart from adventurous activities such as rock climbing, trekking, various scouting activities (Pachmarhi is the national training center for scounting), students had a splendid time sight seeing and participating in campfire, various games and activities.

Movie club

Students really look forward to watching a film together with all their friends every month. The objective is not just fun and enjoyment but also to enhance their language ability and imagination. Students from class one onwards watch a film every month depending on their age and interest level. Some of the films that the children have thoroughly enjoyed are Lion king, babies day out, Ben Hur, Free Willy, Independence day, etc.

Family Life Education:

Family Life Education is a programme of learning experiences, structured to develop the potentials of family members, to play their present and future roles. Its central concept is that of relationships through which the personality develops, individual make decisions, and gain the convictions of self worth.

Family Life Education is specially structured in the school to help children develop skills required to travel through their life phases smoothly. With a focus on creating self-awareness, and the proper attitude towards life and family living. The sessions are held on various areas such as adolescence coping with physical and emotional changes, developing self-esteem, decision making, resisting negative peer pressure, boy-girl relationships, etc

Scouts & Guides

As a part of their training programme students undertake various activities such as hikes, keeping a public place clean for a week, learning various techniques of signaling, etc

The Eklavya School scout and guides celebrated Khari Kamai week during Diwali vacations. The children worked hard and enthusiastically to earn money on their own and succeeded in earning a total of Rs. 8958. Out of this Rs. 4230/- was donated to ‘Apang Manav Mandal, Ahmedabad’ (an organization for the handicapped) and the rest deposited with Bharat Scouts and Guides.