LEARNING IS FUN: Children at a day-long exhibition on nature and environment education in Hyderabad on Thursday. - Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: The Krishnakant Park at Yousufguda took on a new identity on Thursday.

From a space for morning walkers and picnics, it was transformed into a centre for green learning under the nature education project — Nandanavanam. Under the project 11 municipal parks have been adopted by nearby schools for exploring nature through activity-based nature trials and tree exploration programmes conducted jointly by the Andhra Pradesh Cell of Centre Environment Education (CEE) and Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH).

"Parks are developed with a lot of public money and since students look at them only as entertainment avenues, we are trying to act as a bridge between the two by training teachers," says Kalyani Kandula, scientist in-charge of CEE State Cell. The exhibits put up during the annual event on Thursday made it clear that a lot of learning had taken place during the yearlong event.

Over 1,000 students from 20 different schools shared their knowledge on trees and their use, leaf varieties and insect types, beaks and paws of birds, nests of sparrows and weaver birds, paths of butterflies. Some took autographs of trees, tied `rakhis' to them while some named trees after their favourite heroes.

"We have observed all the plants and their uses," said students of Gautam Vidya Niketan School, Jubilee Hills, who made a model of the Vijaya Nursery MCH Park, their green classroom.

The MCH Urban Forestry Officer, P. Sridhar Rao, encouraged students to develop a tree planting culture.

"If there is no sapling before your house, inform us and we will provide saplings and tree guards, but you must plant a sapling and adopt a tree," he said.

A variety of programmes including painting and drawing contests, street plays, song and dance competitions added to the fun.

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