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Skill-bracing summer camps
COME SUMMER, there will be a plethora of training camps for children _ all of its kind including computers, languages, arts, music, sport and many more.
But, are summer camps really useful? Well, the debate could go on endlessly, what with a section of the academia inclined to think that children are best left to themselves during vacation, after a tiring academic year and the attendant pressure of intense competition.
Yet, most parents tend to send their kids to some camp or the other to spend the vacation "in a purposeful manner." Though experts do not find anything unique in summer camps, they however lay stress on making the right choice suitable to the individual temperament, need and readiness of the child. The best way for parents is to take their wards into confidence, gauge his or her aptitude and find out what they would really like to do during the summer. The family background of the child, its strength and limitations also counts in this regard.
Camps can be a good learning ground for kids, provided parents do proper spadework and guide them in the right direction. But many parents tend to burden their children by sending them to camps when they are premature for such vocations, feel a section of teachers, who nevertheless concede that summer is the best time to groom and channelise the special and specific interests of kids.
In recent years, Tiruchi, which has gained a reputation of a premier educational centre, has witnessed a host of activities during summer devoted exclusively for children.
With students of higher classes planning their career, these camps target children mostly in the age group of five to 15.
Almost every other school organises special camps during this part of an year. While some of these camps focus on honing academic skills, a few others are meant to develop physical skills such as swimming and other sports disciplines.
This year, the National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria of the Bharathidasan University, a premier research institution in the country, had come up with a month-long vacation training programme on the bio-resources, considered to be an area of universal interest.
"The programme aims at inculcating awareness on the country's rich bio-diversity, its value and management, among school students. The residential camp includes daily yoga sessions, field visits (to areas such as the Kurusadai islands, Mandapam and Kollimalai hill ranges) and interaction sessions with experts on a wide range of subjects such as the eco-system, plant, animals and birds, bio-diversity and misuse of and threats to bio-resources", says M.Sundararaman, Course Coordinator.
About 30 select students of X standard from the region are attending the camp conducted free of cost with sponsorship from the Department of Bio-Technology. The students also take up individual projects.
Meanwhile, some schools in the city are offering a variety of choice to the children in their camps.
For instance, the Mahatma Gandhi Higher Secondary School had conducted camps on diverse fields such as computers, cricket, yoga and even a special session on learning slokas. The 25-day camp targeted students of Standard VI to Standard X.
The camp organised by the Campion Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School focussed mostly on sports disciplines such as basketball, hockey, athletics and swimming. The school authorities are all smiles because of the tremendous response to their camp.
A drawing-cum-handwriting camp organised at the R.C.Higher Secondary School was also a good draw.
A few private institutions such as the Swastika Self-Development Centre have also come up with training programmes on drawing, painting, spoken English, Hindi and Carnatic vocal.
The Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority hosted a "learn to swim" camp at the newly constructed swimming pool at the Anna Stadium. Besides, it also organised a regional level residential coaching camp for athletes, which attracted about 150 girls and boys from the schools of Tiruchi, Perambalur and Pudukottai districts.
Prominent among the other outdoor activities are the annual trekking expedition to the Himalayas organised by the Science and Adventure Club of Tiruchi, which is catching the imagination of a small but loyal group of kids and adults alike.
The organisers say, "the camps provide an opportunity for the kids to develop skills that they might not otherwise learn. They also make kids a much more rounded personalities by inculcating the spirit of teamwork and developing leadership skills. Many kids pick up lifelong hobbies from their camp experiences.
S. GANESAN
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