“In nature’s classroom, every lesson is an adventure”
DPS Aligarh organized a 10-day long summer camp- FUNtastic for students of classes III to VIII from May 13 to 25 in the school campus which witnessed activities galore, ranging from art and craft, literary, musical extravaganza, dance, yoga, aerobics, pottery, and many more. The school campus reverberated with lively faces and youthful voices; even though it seemed scary to enter a whole new social world at a camp, but the kids adapted to the instructions and had an adventure of a lifetime during these 10 days. They built their social
skills, explored their independence and improved their self-esteem. Their confidence levels and their ability to mingle n social situations increased ten-fold as they started their day with an hour’s session of fulfilling yoga as a part of the Akhand Yoga Karyaashala under the auspice of supremely expert yoga mentors from Aligarh Muslim University.
Once they boosted their mental and physical self-esteem, they started with the more risk-
taking and decision-making tasks like pottery, music, instrumental or art and craft, activities which not only demanded their undivided concentration, but also allowed them to try exploring things with a more creative aptitude. The recess which was an relieving intermission between was immediately followed by activities allowing them to try on different behaviors and identities, through mime storytelling or puppetry as a part of the
school’s Literary Club under the guidance of the Faculty of English.
With the aim of improving their IQ as well as EQ, children learned how to work, play, relate, get along, empathize and connect with others. The mentors put forward their best teachings to present mesmerizing performances of dance, orchestra, music, mime and puppetry on
the Culmination Ceremony, where they not only showcased their newly learnt skills, but also bore testimony to the life-long friendships and networks they formed with their fellow campers.
The children of these classes went outside their comfort zone through yoga and aerobics in the morning, dramatic and musical performances, or wilderness camping. The camp taught the kids it’s okay to fail and helped them recognize their limitations, and see that these things that are not fixed, can be improved upon. These valuable life-skills learnt by the campers often translate into improvements at home and at school later, with increased self-confidence, and in many cases, an improved school experience.