FUN N' FROLIC: Children from Anganwadi centre at Pakkirgudem enjoying themselves at Bloomingdale playschool on the occasion of Children's Day in Vijayawada on Tuesday. — PHOTO: RAJU. V.

VIJAYAWADA: Tuesday was an unforgettable day of learning and laughter for the 30 children from the anganwadi center in Pakeergudem.

The sun shone brighter, the air was softer and the morning was more fragrant. The kids had little inkling that they would be stepping into an enchanting world of entertainment to feast on lots of fun, food and frolic.

It was Children's Day and the Bloomingdale playschool and day care at Acharya Ranga Nagar near Benz Circle became a hub of frenzied activity for hordes of children who swarmed the well-groomed premises to be part of the celebration.

The designer walls, the lush green lawn, the slides, the tunnel, the crayons, the puzzles and blocks and other multi-hued playthings were too enticing for the children to resist.

For the bright, bubbly and brilliant children of the anganwadi, it was a rare treat.

Rare treat

Many of them go to school, but they have never sung the alphabet song. Nor have they experienced the joy of rehearsing rickety rhymes like `one, two, buckle my shoe, ` ` incy wincy spider' or the `hot cross buns'. They read books, which never had so much colour splashed across them and neither are there any compelling illustrations.

No wonder, the books never raised any interest or curiosity in them.

"I wanted to celebrate the day in a different way, as I was driven by a strong urge to make it a memorable experience for these children who are, otherwise, deprived of such privileges," says Nageswari P., principal of the school.

Surprises galore

Besides a sumptuous lunch, the little guests of the day had surprises waiting for them in the form of gifts and gift hampers in addition to classroom material like slates, slate pencils, crayons, puzzles and a blue rocker, given by the school.

Parents contributed their mite by bringing for the kids clothes and toys and a junior super slide.

Special guests

Driven by a similar urge to serve the under-privileged, management of Akshara International School at Ashok Nagar, also invited children from SKCV children's trust, an orphanage run by a local NGO, as special guests.

The day belonged to the little ones who were treated to a delicious spread of lunch and showered with gifts like sweaters, clothes and chocolates.

The goodies were bought with the sum of Rs. 15,000 collected by the schoolchildren for the purpose.

After a rocking session of song and dance followed the highlight of the day -- a special skit by teachers, who stepped into the shoes of the children, with their school uniforms on.

The children returned with wide grins on their faces and a sense of gratitude towards the management.

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