Kerala - Kozhikode   

Learning differently

Staff Reporter

CREATIVE EXPRESSION: Children engaged in making papier mache, baskets and other things at the summer camp organised by Leeds School, Thiruvannur, in Kozhikode. Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

KOZHIKODE: Imagine a set of bangles stuck together as a pen stand. Or a picture of owl stuck together with wooden scrapings obtained while pencil is sharpened. This is what playschool and nursery students of Leeds School, Thiruvannur in Kozhikode have been doing - putting waste materials to better use.

The school also believes that personality development lies in creativity and intelligent use of everyday materials.

"Basically the teaching method is project method. We have a completely activity-based curriculum," says M.T. Pradeep Kumar, director of the school and a product of Rishi Valley School run by the J.Krishnamurthi Foundation.

"We give the students a project every month," says Meena Krishna Swami, principal of the school. "We do not just teach A for apple and then leave the children. The children draw the apple on the wall. We have a sand play where children write apple on the sand and also build toy bridges, roads, etc. They can also use water to play in the sand," Ms. Swami, earlier with the Air Force School, Kanpur, and many other institutes, says.

The school also runs a small puppet theatre. Ms. Swami, who holds a diploma in puppetry from the Centre for Human Resources Development, New Delhi, says she herself makes the puppets and conducts the puppetry show.

The school also organises summer camps. The summer camp this year began on April 3 and will continue till May 20. "The camps provide an opportunity for the students to bring out their inborn talent and enjoy their holiday in a useful way. We develop five important mental processes or thinking skills - matching, classifying, understanding relationship, perceiving patterns and problem solving," she says. More information about the camp can be had from phone no: 0495 5547146.

Another speciality of the school is that every student is taught one word in six languages - Malayalam, Hindi, English, Tamil, Sanskrit and Arabic - in a week. The school is holding talks with the BBC for a tie-up.

"The parents are also provided an opportunity to work as teacher\ staff in the nursery. Some grandparents are also given this opportunity," says Mr. Kumar.

The school has a library play centre, which helps children develop an understanding and love for reading and writing.

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