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Onam holidays with a difference

Try new ideas for Onam vacations this time to make it excitingly different!

PHOTO C. RATHEESH KUMAR

HAPPY HOLIDAYS From sightseeing to social service, Onam vacations can be a wonderful mid-term break

After three months of studies and exams Onam mid-term break is here. Adding to the excitement this time is the coming together of the weekend and the holidays extending it further. But what are the kids planning to do this Onam? Well, there are many options and many things that children can to do differently this time.

If you are not zipping off on a holiday then staying home this vacation need not be bad at all. How about spending some time visiting in and around Kochi? Parents can take the kids for a boat ride with friends along the backwaters, visit the Kerala History Museum at Edapally, enrol with your family in an adventure trip to the hills of Munnar, go bird watching, go on an elephant safari at the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary, spend your time exploring the beaches or enjoying water sports at Kumarakom. Children will be proud to enjoy a world-class holiday in their own land.

Work for a cause

Encourage your children to work for a good cause. Get together with friends and help out at an orphanage or a special institute. Raksha, society for care of children with special needs at Kochangadi, Kochi has a paper project where children sort different kinds of waste paper, shred them and bale them to be sent to a recycling unit. Ragini Menon, Hon. Secretary of the Institution says, "The recycling unit pays us per bale of paper and the money is divided among the ten children and a few parents who work on the project. This is an eco-friendly project that also helps in the rehabilitation of the severely disabled children." Children can collect old newspapers and other waste paper from offices or from their friends and neighbours for the project. This way we can help create awareness among children towards their less fortunate counterparts.

Gather children together for a daylong Cleanliness Project. Encourage them to make posters with their own slogans against the use of plastic bags. Encourage them to install dustbins around the neighbourhood. Most Residents Associations will only be too happy to help in the effort.

For the adventurous at heart, enrol your child in an adventure sports camp. You can organise one yourself with friends or take part in a camp organised by tour companies. Camps provide opportunities for children to build independence and new friendships and pursue interests. Kalypso Adventures at Panampilly Nagar and Far Horizon Tours Pvt. Ltd based in New Delhi are some of the companies worth investigating. The former organises a variety of adventure and nature journeys including youth camps, while the latter conducts regular and safari tours.

If your child prefers to stay at home and catch up on reading, help him get together with friends to discuss their favourite books. Check with schoolteachers and bookstores about reading programs. Dee Cee Books has fun activities every Saturday at their bookstore on Chittoor Road.

Involve your child in planning for a day trip or family outing. Such trips call for figuring out where to go, where to stay, how to get there and getting information. This will make them feel important and also proud about participating in the decision-making.

Some children continue with their tuition classes so that they stay ahead in the syllabus. Some use the holidays to revise schoolwork while others have projects to complete. If your child has to attend special classes to make up for lower grades in school, encourage him to see this as an opportunity to become a stronger learner. Avoid blaming your child and encourage him to grow from this experience instead.

If your child is at home, make sure he/she has access to enough reading material and monitored computer access. Connect with other parents and allow children to stay in touch and visit their friends. Unsupervised time, money to spend and peer pressure to `have fun' can often be a recipe for risky behaviour. If you are parents of teenagers, it is often a good idea to discuss rules and monitor how they must spend their time.

Network and connect with other parents to confirm plans and their itinerary if they are out on a trip.

Try some of these ideas for Onam vacation and you're sure to have done something wonderfully different these holidays.

Plans

Visit sites in and around Kochi.

A boat ride along the backwaters.

The Kerala History Museum at Edapally

An adventure trip to the hills of Munnar.

Go bird watching.

Take an elephant safari at the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary.

Enjoy water sports at Kumarakom.

Encourage your children to work for a good cause. Get together with friends and help out at an orphanage or a special institute.

Check with bookstores about reading programs.

Involve your child in planning for a day trip or family outing. Such trips call for figuring out where to go, where to stay, how to get there and getting information.

APARNA NAMBIAR

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