Sunday, May 25, 2014

Upcoming workshops : Bihu Dance ; Tissue Paper Flower Making & Scrabble

The following activities and classes are being held at Books n More:
1. BIHU Dance Workshop by Ms Archana Misra for 7-16 year old children(both boys and girls are welcome)
Learn the Assamese Folk Dance of Bihu from Ms Misra , a noted folk dance teacher,who teaches dance at the library and has succesfully presented many stage shows in the city including the recently concluded Sambalpuri Dance Workshop at the library . This workshop will be held from 31'st May to 8'th June (everyday except 1'st June) from 4-5 P.M .The children participating in this workshop will be presenting a small dance performance at the library premises on Sunday ,8'th June 2014 .
Fee :Rs 1500 per child(inclusive of costume hire)



2. Flower Making Class (Tissue Paper Flower Bouquet )in Craft Time for 4-10 year olds :

Join Ms Mandakini Rao , artist and graphic designer , in a fun filled craft workshop for children to make Tissue Paper Flower Bouquets.
Date and Time: 30'th May 2014 . 5-6:30 P.M
Fee :Rs 150 per child(all materials inclusive)


3.Scrabble Classes for 7-14 year olds
Scrabble Classes are being held by Ms Bhavan Jain  on Sundays from 1'st June 2014 onwards . Timing : 10:30 A.M -11:30 A.M
Ms Bhavana Jain teaches  grammar , writing skills and vocabulary development as a Level 3 Reading Program(English Enrichment ) teacher at the Library . In the Scrabble Classes , she will be working towards teaching the children, not only the rules of the game , but also work on vocabulary enrichment . Children are advised to bring a notebook and pen for the classes.
Fee : Rs 500 per month .
See here for Summer Camp Week 5 Review and Photos.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Summer Camp-Week 5 Review and Photos

The last week of the summer camp went off smoothly and was a very fun filled one with many fun activities as usual :
Day 1
Level 1:
The first session of the day was Word Play with Ms Srilatha Reddy. The children engageg in simple word games including anagrams and word building games .The second session was a craft session on making popsicle stick photo frames with Ms Rajashri. The children made simple 8 stick photo frames in this session

Level 2:
.The first session was a craft session on making popsicle stick photo frames with Ms Rajashri. The children made a base with popsicle sticks and then created a frame in this session.They also decorated the frame with punched out flowers and leaves
The second session was one on Lateral thinking with Ms Srilatha where the children worked on exercising their grey cells on challenging problems.

Day 2
Level 1:
The first session of the day was science toy making where the children made a "Twirly Whirly", a cute little colourful toy that spun with the breeze . They also made a small whistle using just a piece of paper
The second session was on Reading Etiquette with Ms Srilatha where the children learnt about how to read and use a book. They made bookmarks to help them mrk their pages when they are reading a book

Level 2:
The first session on Creative thinking with Ms Srilatha Reddy was an interesting and challenging one for the kids. The second session on science toy making saw them make colouful poppers and also the Twirly Whirly. They also learnt the principles of science behind the toys.

Day 3:
Level 1:
Session 1 on Anger Management with Ms Kavitha  had many interesting games ( using a traffic light for e.g)& activities( including breathing exercises and a scream bag ) to manage anger better . The second session with Ms Indra was on expressing anger and other emotions through art .
Level 2:
Self Expression through art was the theme of the first session with Ms Indra . The second session on anger management with Ms Kavitha Krishnaraj saw the children learning 10 steps to manage their anger and to channelise anger constructively

Day 4:
Level 1:
Pictionary Game was the first session with Ms Bhavana . The children had a lovely time drawing and guessing the various clues . The second session saw them learning to read with expression stories like "The Cat in The hat " ,"The Cat in the Hat comes back" and "Mr Brown can Moo" with Ms Bhavana again

Level 2:
The first session on Goal Setting was a very inspiring and useful one with Ms Kavitha Krishnaraj where the children learnt about constructive behaviours to achieve their goals and also about taking small steps to achieve their goals everyday. The second session on"Realising your Dreams" was to encourage the children to dream big . They were asked to imagine outrageous things and how they would achieve them

DAY 5:
Level 1:
The day started with a fun filled Sambalpuri Folk Dance session with Folk Dancer with Ms Archana Misra. They learnt a few steps of the dance and heard a few folk songs from Sambalpur.
The second session on recycling saw them make flowers out of discarded plastic bottles.

Level 2:
The session on Recycling was conducted by Ms Radha Reddy of "Scorpio Bags" who runs a unique recycling enterprise in the city that offers employment to many underprivileged women. In this interaction with the children she explained about how to reuse and recycle waste . She taught them to make pen stands out of discarded cartons. The second session on Sambalpuri dance with Ms Archana Misra had them learning nine steps of the folk dance .

Day 6:
Level 1:
It was a very fun filled finale to the summer camp with a lighthearted "Summer Cooler "Fashion show where our little ones walked the ramp and posed for pictures in a cool straw hat and sun glasses . They then had to speak a line about summer . Then they played a few party games , had tattoos done, finished up some colouring /creative drawing pages(according to their age) and sang a few songs to bid the summer camp good bye

Level 2:
The seniors had an interactive Crossword session with J Ramesh who sets crosswords for the Hindu under the moniker Sunnet . It was a very interesting session where they learnt about Anagram Indicators, Acrostic clues and HIdden Clues. They also solved a quick crossword in this double session

Please see the link to the photos here

With  this we finish the summer camp for this year. Please do mail me your feedback to booksnmore.india@gmail.com or drop in for a cup of tea and conversation at the library to talk about your child( but please call in advance )

Thank you !

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Events and Workshops this weekend-Stree-an exhibition of products by women entrepreneurs;Science Toy Making


Following activities are lined up at Books n More this week:

1. Event: Stree- an exhibition of products by women entrepreneurs-
                Come shop for eco friendly bags, handmade soaps, fashion jewellery and other products made by women entrepreneurs who run small enterprises 
Date and Time: 22'nd and 23'rd of May 2014. 4-7 P.M
ENTRY FREE

2.Workshop: Optics - Science Toy Making 
 Learn to make your own Anaglyph 3-D Glasses and a Phantascope. Learn how and why it works with Ms Rajashri
For 5-14 year olds
Date and Time: 22/5/2014.4:30-6 P.M.
Fee:Rs 150 per child(all materials inclusive)

3.Workshop: Science Craft -Periscope Making with Ms Indra Linga for 5-16 year olds. 
Date and Time: 23/5/2014 .5:30-7 P.M.
Fee:Rs 150 per child(all materials inclusive)

Please register beforehand for the workshops at 9885956728 or on email.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Summer Camp Week 4 Review and Photos

The penultimate week of the summer camp was packed with activities as usual and we were thrilled to have Mrs Ratnamala Nori , of the Nori Art and Puppetry Centre visit us this week!

The review follows:
Day 1:
Level 1:
Let's talk stories was all about making up stories and telling them effecrtively using the right expression and voice modulation. This session by Ms Srilatha Reddy was geared towards getting the children use their imagination to make up stories
The second session of the day was a Drawing session with Ms Rajashri using Shading techniques which was designed to help them get better pencil control to get the right colour
Level 2:
The day started off with a drawing session using shading techniques with Ms Rajashri who worked with the children to help them portray light and dark shades and get better pencil control.
The second session was Public Speaking-Module 1 where the children learnt to write an effective speech.

Day 2:
Level 1:
The day started off with "Tell Me a story"- a communication skills exercise for the juniors with Ms Srilatha Reddy. They heard the story of the Good Fox-Bad Fox ; then they made up chain stories and stories with prompts .
The second session was Puppet making with Ms Rajashri (Periscope was postponed to Day 3 due to lack of materials) The children made puppets with paper cups .
Level 2:
The seniors made two types of puppets with Ms Rajashri- Paper Cup Puppets and Origami Puppets. It was a fun filled and very creative session with the children.
The second session with Ms Srilatha Reddy was Public Speaking-Module 2 which was a session on effective speaking techniques including voice modulation and effective delivery

Day 3:
Level 1:
The 1'st and 2'nd session of the day was devoted to making the Periscope with Ms Indra Linga. The children took much longer than we had anticipated to make the Periscope. It was a fun filled double session where they discovered the magic of the Periscope
Level 2:
The seniors therefore had a double session on life skills with Ms Kavitha k and Ms Saritha Yadav , with the much anticipated Periscope making pushed to the next day :(..but the life skills session on Conflict Resolution , Competition and Collaboration proved to be a very interesting and thought provoking one as the children learnt strategies to deal with conflict and also how to handle competition

Day 4:
Level 1:
The Juniors had the first session on Conflict, Competition and Collaboration- 2 sessions rolled into one . The main instruction methodology used was "Role Play" which helped the children internalise the lessons effectively without any preaching !The session was conducted by Ms Kavitha Krishnaraj and Ms Saritha Yadav
The second session of the day was a fun  storytime with plush puppets by Ms Gladys Francis who took the children through some fun classic stories using the puppets. The children also engaged ion free play with the puppets

Level 2:
The day started with a fun quiz on Indian Mythology by Ms Gladys Francis who covered the Ramayana and Mahabharata in her action packed quiz.
The second session of the day was the much anticipated Periscope making session with Ms Indra Linga
 Day 5:
Level 1:
The first session was the stand out of this week..a personalised Puppet Show with Mrs Ratnamala Nori who told them the stories of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar ";"The Cat and The Mouse" and "The story of Kubera and Ganesha".The children were all agog to hear the stories and for 1 hr plus she totally enthralled them with her puppets .
The second session was a light hearted songs session with Ms Gladys Francis where the children sang some old favourites and a few new songs too!

Level 2:
The day started off with an inspiring Poetry Reading Session with Ms Gladys Franscis who took the children through some childhood classics- The Coromandel Fishers , by Sarojini Naidu ; The Road Less Travelled by Robert Frost and finally the rib ticklingly funny Macavity the Mystery Cat by T.S.Elliott..
The second session of the day was a Puppetry Session by Ms Ratnamala Nori where she took the children through the origin of Puppetry , it's uses and also how to tell stories through Puppets. The children also had many questions about why she chose puppetry as her career , how she manages to make all her puppets etc

Day 6:
Level 1:
The first session of the day was a French session where the children learnt some French songs and heard some simple stories in French
The second session on JAM was on getting the children to make up small speeches on different topics and speak
Level 2:
The first session was the Speech Competition . Topics were given to the children like: "Why should pocket money be given?" ," Importance of technology in maintaining friendships " etc . The children were given 10 mins to prepare . They spoke very well on the different topics
The second session of the day was a French session where the children learnt some French songs and heard some simple stories in French
Please see the link to the photos here


Summer Camp Week 5 Schedule


SUMMER CAMP:WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
LEVEL 1: 4-8 year olds
LEVEL 2: 9-14 year olds
Session 1: 10-11:15 A.M
Session 2:11:15 A.M-12:30 P.M

Date Day Level 1:
Session1
Level 1:
Session 2
Level 2:
Session 1
Level 2
Session 2
19'th May '14 Monday Word Play :Word games to challenge you Popsicle Stick Photoframe craft Popsicle stick photoframe craft Lateral thinking exercises
20'th May '14 Tuesday Science Toy Making Reading Etiquette Creative Problem solving Science toy making
21'st May '14 Wednesday Anger Management Express emotions through art Express Emotions through art Anger Management
22'nd May '14 Thursday Pictionary Game Reading with expression Goal setting Realising your dreams : A life skills exercise
23'rd May '14 Friday Sambalpuri Folk Dance Eco friendly recycling project with Ms Radha Reddy Meet an Eco Warrior:Ms Radha Reddy Sambalpuri Folk Dance
24'th May '14 Saturday Summer Cooler Fashion show Face Painting and Tattoo Art Meet a professional Crossword setter :
J Ramesh
Learn to solve Cryptic Crosswords

Monday, May 12, 2014

This weekend at Books n More:Mughal MIniature Painting ;Calligraphy ;Science Toys, Handsewing and more!



The following workshops are lined up this weekend at Books n More :

1. Workshop : Mughal Miniature Painting classes with Ms Mandakini Rao for all abovce 9 years including adults .Make one complete project in this eight session workshop to be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Date and Time: From 15'th May to June 12'th on Tuesdays and Thursdays only from 5-6 :30 P.M

Fee: Rs 1500 (participants to bring the materials )

2.Workshop:Calligraphy classes with Ms Indra Linga for children between 8-16 years.
Date and Time: From 16'th May to 28'th May 2014 .Everyday (except Sunday)from 5-6 P.M
Fee :Rs 1500 per child (participants to bring the materials )

3.Workshop : Handsewing workshop continues this week with the following activities

a. Learn Embroidery (filling stitches ) - Satin Stitch, French Knot, Chain , Lazy Daisy etc
Date and Time: 15'th May from 4:30-5:30 P.M
Fee:Rs 100 per child(participants to bring the materials)

b.Sew your own pencil pouch and decorate it with Applique
Date and Time: 15'th May .4:30- 6 P.M
Fee :Rs 150 per child(all materials inclusive)

4. Workshop:Science Toy Making workshop continues this week with the following activities

a.Make a "Rat a Tat" and a "Clap Trap" - toys that use the principles of friction and sound
Date and Time: 15'th May 5:30-7 P.M
Fee:Rs 150 per child(all materials inclusive)

b.Make a "Spinning Sardine" and a "NFX" - toys that use the principles of aerodynamics
Date and Time: 17'th May .5:30-7 P.M
Fee: Rs 150 per child(all materials inclusive)

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Upcoming workshops at Books n More

The following workshops are starting at Books n More from tomorrow:

Workshop:Learn the Art of Mehendi design from Ms Veena Jain for all above 8
years including adults
Date and Time: From 12'th May to 20'th May .everyday. 3-4:30 P.M
Fee:Rs 800 (inclusive of materials)

Workshop:Learn the French craft of Papier Mache to make cool art objects
out of recycled newspaper .By Ms Shaleen Khandelwal for 5-14 year olds.This
builds creativity and helps children learn an eco friendly craft

Date and Time: 12'th Masy to 23'rd May(Weekdays only)
Fee:Rs 800 per child

Summer Camp Week 4 Schedule is
here<http://booksnmoreindia.blogspot.in/2014/05/summer-camp-week-4-schedule.html>

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Summer Camp Week 3 Review and Photos

The 3'rd week of summer camp went off without a hitch despite so many guest faculty who are busy professionals from different walks of life who took the time out from their hectic schedules to share their expertise with the children. A big thanks to Ms Rajani Vakkalanka , Ms Sejal Parikh and Mr Nihar Parulekar

Day 1 :
Level 1
The first session of the day was "Confidence Builders" - a soft skills session with Ms Srilatha Reddy. The children were taken through a set of positive affirmations about themselves . They were asked to talk to a friend and introduce him emphasising on his positive qualities. Then they participated in circle time with a memory game on positive attributes that they have/admire in others
The second session for the young kids was a fun Art session with Ms Rajashri using Sand. The children were encouraged top play freely with coloured sand and to use it to make colourful art work.

Level 2:
The children started off the week with a session on Indian Art with Ms Rajashri on Warli Painting. They learnt how different geometric shapes represent different objects/parts of body. They learnt to compose an art work with it's various elements.
The second session on "Self Awareness and Confidence Builders"- a soft skills session was coordinated by Ms Srilatha Reddy.Here the children played interesting games and engaged in exercises to build self awareness . A lot of interesting perspectives emerged about themselves and each other which a few were comfortable with sharing with others and a few were not.

Day 2:
Level 1
The first session of the day was an interesting  activity with Ms Srilatha Reddy on Teamwork. The children were given many one minute challenges to solve as a team and to win against other teams they had to work very well together as a group.
The second session was a Science Craft session where the children built a volcano with Ms Indra L

Level 2 :
Session1 was an indepth science lesson with Ms Indra on building volcanoes and figuring out why the volcanoes erupted .
Session 2 was a totally fun teamwork challenge with Ms Srilatha Reddy who put the children through their paces to race against time and against other teams.

Day 3:
Level 1:
The first session of the day was a Life Skills Module on Personal Health and Hygiene with Ms Kavitha Krishnaraj and Ms Saritha Yadav. The teachers had planned a very innovative game to get the children to identify junk and non junk food . (We have a No Junk Rule at the Summer Camp , btw) . The children were also shown how to brush  their teeth , wash their hands and faces, how to comb their hair etc using a cute little doll . Then they watched a short video on health.
The second session of the day with Ms Ayushi Sanghi was on "Rajasthani Language, songs and customs". The children heard a few folktales from Rajasthan (in English of course). Then they learnt how to say Hello, Will you be my friend?, I'm from Hyderabad , Thank you etc in Rajasthani . They also learnt some of the names of famous food items from Rajasthan and learnt one song in that language.

Level 2 :
The first session on the day was a soap box on environmental issues . The children had by Tuesday identified one endangered animal that they were going to speak about.The children spoke on the following parameters :
1. Physical Traits of the animals
2.Nature of their habitat
3.Why were they under threat
4.How can we conserve their habitat
A wide range of animals - polar bears, Indian Rhino, Sparrow, Olive Ridley turtles, blue whale, the tapir etc was covered. The children came up with some interesting solutions too..including choosing the career of a forest ranger in order to preserve animal habitat.
The second session on Creative Thinking with Ms Kavitha Krishnaraj and Ms Saritha Yadav was a really fun filled one where the children were divided into teams and with just newspapers , tape and magazine sheets they had to come up with a dress for one team member

Day 4:
Level 1:
The first session of the day was an hour of conversational French with Ms Karisma Nalli who revised what they had learnt last week and also taught them two new French Songs. The children learnt to name all the days of the week and the parts of the body in French
The second session of the day was a quick time management session with Ms Kavitha and Ms Sarithawhere the children learnt some basic things like planning and finishing their work on time , being prepared for the next day's school on the previous night itself. They were also taught through role play about time wasters like dragging out mealtimes, "how tantrums are a waste of time!" and about trying to be on time for school .The session segued into one on "Feelings" and the children spontaneously engaged in a conversation about what makes them feel good and what makes them feel bad.
Level 2:
The first session of the day on Time Management by Ms Kavitha and Ms Saritha had well planned out activities and structured exercises on the topic to fully deal with the subject.
The second session on Conversational French had the children testing out a few phrases in French and trying their hand at small conversations.

Day 5:
Level 1
The children after briefly meeting our guest for the morning Ms Rajni Vakkalanka went on to a session on Environmental Awareness with Ms Ayushi Sanghi. They came up with their own ideas to conserve water and electricity like planting trees, feeding birds, turning off taps when not in use etc
The second session was on Fairytales with Ms Ayushi. The children heard the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the three Bears , Rapunzel etc. They made stick puppets of Goldilocks and the three bears which they used for enacting the story.

Level 2
The children had a lovely opportunity to interact with Ms Rajni Vakkalanka , a noted bird conservationist in the city. She spoke to the children about the many birds found locally. She showed them pictures of them, ,talked about their habitat and about how to conserve their habitat. She shared stories about her conservation efforts. She also had a lot to tell the children about being responsible with Mother Earth this Mother's Day and that the Earth is our first mother . The children benefited a lot from her session

The second speaker for the day , Ms Sejal Parikh , could not make it to the library due to inclement weather . So we preponed the poster making competition on Environmental Awareness . The children dazzled us with their impromptu posters and it was tough to select the winners

Day 6:
Level 1:
The day started off with a very fun filled session with Mr Nihar Parulekar, the Founder of the ARPF who spoke to the children about animals .He had a small video on elephants for the children which was followed by a presentation on animals in Andhra Pradesh. He also spoke to the children about how to treat strays , how to ask adults for help to prevent animal abuse and so on.
The second session was a collaborative poster making exercise on the environment. The children made small badges for themselves and also worked on some activity sheets that they took home.

Level 2:
The day kickstarted with a thought provoking session with Ms Sejal Parikh on eating healthy and being Vegan. She spoke about cruelty to animals and really raised some interesting questions in the children's minds.
This was followed by a very interesting session with Mr Nihar Parulekar, the Founder of the ARPF who spoke about volunteering to save animals. He spoke about his initiative to save animals and how each one of us can make a difference .The session went on till beyond 1 P.M with the children refusing to let go of him ,plying him with questions , which he patiently answered . The day was truly enriching for all of us.

Please see the link to this week's photos here




Wednesday, May 7, 2014

This weekend at Books n More

Please see Summer Camp 2014 -Week 4 Schedule here.
This weekend is packed with workshops and specials for everyone..

Workshop : Photography with Ms Anees Tasneem .Learn the basics of composition , lighting and clicking a great picture .Participants to bring their own cameras. For 8-16 year olds
Date and Time: 9/5/2014 and 10/5/2014 .From 4-6:30 P.M
Fee :Rs 800 per head 

Workshop : Learn Pattachitra Painting (a traditional art form of Odisha) from Ms Sejal and Ms Veena Jain on canvas . This workshop is open to all above age 9 including adults. Participants to bring their own materials . Please call / mail for details and regn.
Date and Time: 9/5/2014-20/5/2014.From 3-4:30 P.M (Everyday except Sunday)
Fee:Rs 1500 per head

Workshop: Hand Sewing workshop  continues this week for 6-16 year olds
On 8/5/2014 - Learn  five types of embroidery . Participants to bring their own materials . Call/mail for details .
From 4:30-5:30 P.M . 
Fee:Rs 100 per head

Workshop : Mother's Day Special Craft Workshop with Ms Rajashri for 6-16 year olds. Make a fabric flower brooch /hairclip accessory for your mother .
Date and Time: 9/5/2014 . From 4:30-6 P.M
Fee:Rs 150(all materials inclusive)

Workshop :Science Toy Making continues this week with two sessions as follows for 6-14 year olds
Session1 : Make a Hip Hop Dancing Man ( a toy explaining the principles of centrifugal gravity) and Flute Hoot(a "sound" toy)
Date and Time: 8'th May 2014 from 5:30-7 P.M

Session 2: Magical Science -Make a Flower Box and  a two way  Hinge - 2 magic tricks that use the principles of science 
Date and Time : 10'th May 2014. From 5:30-7 P.M

Fee : RS 150 Per session

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Summer Camp Week 4 Schedule

SUMMER CAMP 2014 WEEK 4 SCHEDULE
Level 1 :4-8 years
Level 2:9-14 years
Date
Day
Level 1
Session 1
Level 1
Session 2
Level 2
Session 1
Level 2
Session 2
12/5/2014
Monday
Let’s talk stories
Let’s Draw
Shading Techniques in Drawing
Public Speaking-Module 1
13/5/2014
Tuesday
Tell Me a Story-A communication skills exercise
Science Craft-Make a Periscope
Science Craft-Make a Periscope
Public Speaking-Module 2

14/5/2014
Wednesday
Role Play Session:Conflict Resolution
Puppetry Craft session
Puppetry Craft session

Role Play Session:Conflict Resolution
15/5/2014
Thursday
Role Play :Competition and Collaboration
Puppetry :Storytime with Puppets
GK session :Fables and Indian Mythology
Building teamwork through collaboration and handling competition

16/5/2014
Friday
Puppet stories with Ms Ratnamala Nori
Sing Me A Song
Poetry Reading
Let’s meet a Puppeteer:Ms Ratnamala Nori
17/5/2014
Saturday
JAM Competition
Let’s Speak French
Let’s Speak French
Public Speaking Competition

Friday, May 2, 2014

Summer Camp Week 2-Review and photos

DAY 1
Level 1:
The second week started off with an ice breaker session for the Juniors - "Speak Up!" with Ms Srilatha Reddy. This involved various  conversation topics like how to introduce oneself, how to give a short two minute speech on a simple topic like , "My school ", "My Pet ", "My favourite game" etc.
The second session of the day was a Sudoku class with Ms Veena Jain who took the children through simple 4 by 4 and 6 by 6 Sudokus

Level 2 :
The first session of the week was one on Sudoku -Level 2 . The focus was on solving strategies of 9 by 9 and 12 by 12 Sudokus with Ms Veena Jain
The second session with Ms Srilatha Reddy was on Writing a Script for a Comic /Graphic Novel. The children were taught about identifying the physical traits of the characters , delineating the plot and the resolution .

DAY 2
Level 1
The first session of the day was a fun filled fireless cooking class where the children made five types of Chaat - Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, Sev Puri, Dahi Puri and Dahi Vada with Ms Sejal Jain
The second session of the Day was on "Social Values"- it was a transactional analysis based session on the relationship of their children with their grandparents. The session with Ms Srilatha Reddy focussed on building healthy grandparent-grandchild relationship .

Level 2
The first session of the day was a continuation of the previous day's session on writing a comic book script. The children had written the script at home , that was corrected and they came up with a final iteration of the story that they had developed.
The second session was the fireless cooking class where the children made five types of Chaat - Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, Sev Puri, Dahi Puri and Dahi Vada with Ms Sejal Jain

DAY 3
Was a holiday on account of General Elections

DAY 4
Level 1:
The first session of the day was a session with Ms Mandakini Rao on Line Drawing. Ms Mandakini Rao , a comic book illustrator by profession took the children through a well planned line drawing session where she made lines "speak"
The second session was a high octane dance session with Ms Muskaan Punjabi on Alphabet Dance - an aerobics session with steps like the Alphabet.

Level 2:
The first session of the day was a dance session with  Ms Muskaan Punjabi on Alphabet Dance - an aerobics session with steps like the Alphabet.
The second session was "Meet a Graphic Designer"-Ms  Mandakini Rao took them through a very well prepared presentation on design , the tools of design, what is needed to take up design as a career and a lot of examples of Visual FX , Animation and Graphic Design

DAY 5
Level 1:
Session1 started off with a rousing rendition of "There's a Polar bear in my Frigidaire" by Shel Silverstein. This was followed by two more poems which children learned to recite with great gusto from Ms Ayushi Sanghi.
The second session was "Kahaani Suno"- Hindi storytime. The children heard
They had come dressed as various community builders like "postman" , "policeman", "baker","teacher", "milkman" , "vegetable vendor" , "doctor","engineer" etc . The children were at their charming best as they learnt the hindi words for their respective professions and they mouthed a few lines in Hindi  about their work .
Level 2:
There was a double session today on comic book illustration by Ms Mandakini Rao. The children were taught to breathe life into the various characters that they had come up with this past week , by depicting emotions like anger, annoyance, happiness etc and also convey their physical traits in the art work .They had to format the text that they had written - frame by frame. Then the frame setting was done. Then they were taught to sketch the characters into the frames with appropriate backgrounds. They were then taught to make different kinds of speech bubbles for dreaming , talking , shouting etc and then fill up the bubbles with the appropriate words (including action words , like "Pow! ,"Blast! etc)

DAY 6:
Level 1
Session1 was on Conversational French where the children heard a few French Songs and learnt the names of the Days of the Week. The Second session was a "Draw Me a Story" competition where the talented artists drew beautiful pictures to illustrate their own stories.Prizes were given to the winners.

Level 2
The first session was a "Story Board " competition where the children wrote and illustrated their own comic strip.The second session on Conversational French was a very engaging one with the children coming up with a few simple scenarios and conversing in French.

Please find the photos of the past week here.



Creative Writing Workshop - An action story

Here's an action packed adventure written by Shreyas Pantangi , a 16 year old who attended the recently concluded Creative Writing Program .


5MA-TRUE WARRIORS

Chapter 1 :- Govind the Mastermind.

Did we win?” Govind asked Virat.
Yes, but Cobalt escaped.” said Virat
Govind, Virat, Chang, Sushanth and Natasha saved Hyderabad from Cobalt and his companions. This day 25/4/2014 will marked as the day when Hyderabad was nearly destroyed. It was saved by a group of brave people. Their group was called ‘5MA’.
This started three years ago on 22/04/2011. Govind was very intelligent. He took over his father’s company after his death. He was just 20 when he took over A&A industries. A&A industries supplied arms to the Indian military. One day to demonstrate his new missile Javlin he had to go to the Indian Military base in Afghanistan. It was a live demonstration where he would fire one of his Javlins. During the demonstration he said that the missile was computerised, only the aim of the missile was to be entered and it would make sure that anything in the radius of five kilometers stays alive.
After the demonstration while he was going back to the base, they were attacked. All the soldiers who were escorting him were killed. He was taken captive by the Afghanistani terrorists. They kidnapped him because they wanted him to make Javlins for them. He was given an assistant named David. They told that would kill both of them if he didn’t make the Javlins.
Where are you from?” Govind asked David.
From a small village in the Sahara Desert.” David said.
These people had killed all the natives of my city and no one knew about it as my city is a remote one and there is no press in my city. They attacked us with the arms and ammunition manufactured by your industries.” David said.
Govind was shocked on hearing this. He thought that there was someone in his industries who was supplying the arms to these terrorists.
Will you help me get out of here?” Govind asked David.
Yes, but how? We are in a hole which is underground.” said David.
They asked me to prepare a list of things I would need to make the Javlins. I will give them a list which I will need to make a suit which will help us get out of here.” Govind said.
He made a suit which was bulletproof and fire resistant. It also had boosters which helped it to fly. He and David escaped from there after killing all the terrorists. After returning to India he found out the person who supplied the arms was none other than his CEO. Then he removed him from A&A industries.


Chapter 2:- The Dynamite.

Virat and Chang played a major role in saving Hyderabad from Cobalt. Their combination was called ‘The Dynamite’. Both of them were very good at hand to hand combat and their aim was the best.
Virat was a R.A.W agent. He was from Mumbai. He loved his country so much that he could do anything for it. He was selected as a R.A.W agent by the President because of his bravery and good aim. He got 7 gold medals, 2 silver medals and 10 bronze medals. All the R.A.W. agents were jealous of him. Even his seniors were scared of him. It so happened that one day they tried to rag him during their training sessions. They told him to touch their feet and if he didn’t they would beat him up badly. He got so angry and hit them so badly that they never came near him again. Once he was sent to Assam for a mission. There he was accused of a murder which he didn’t commit. Due to this reason he was removed from R.A.W., but he didn’t lose love for his country.
Chang was a native of Assam. He was very good in Archery. He won three gold medals for India at the Olympics. He also loved his country a lot. He met Virat when Virat came to Assam for his mission. Virat lived in Chang’s house during his stay in Assam. They became very good friends in a short period of time. Chang didn’t know that Virat was a R.A.W agent.


Chapter 3:- The Brainiacs.

Sushanth and Natasha were the first to know about Cobalt’s plans. Both of them studied IT and were working in Windows. They were very good friends. They were called ‘The Hackers’. They could hack into any computer, server, account etc. They were the only ones who hacked into the Facebook server that too in just one minute. They made a program with which they listen to any ones conversation if they had their phone number. One day they typed a random number. That number was Cobalt’s. They heard him talking to his companion Jack.
Let’s bomb &#@*(%&#^) at *$*#*$,” Cobalt said to Jack.
After deciphering the code, they found out that Jack had planted a bomb in Taj Mahal which was going to blast any minute. When they switched on the television they saw Taj Mahal in ruins.
Cobalt was very clever and left no evidence. He is placed first in the ‘Most Wanted’ list by the Interpol. There are many charges filed against him. There is no count to the number of people he killed by his terrorist and bombing activities. Though everyone knows he lives in Bangladesh, there was no living soul who had seen him.

Chapter 4:-The Reinforcement

Govind made many upgrades to his suit after returning to Hyderabad. He made it bulletproof, fire resistant, ice resistant etc. It had high penetrating powered laser which could easily penetrate through hundred meters of thick concrete. Virat and Chang made a team and started helping the government and the police indirectly. Whenever there was a theft, they would catch the thieves before the police. On one occasion a few thieves robbed a bank. Four of them were covering the roofs. Virat and Chang shot all of them from a distance of one kilometer. Chang shot two of them in their legs and Virat shot the other two in their shoulders. They never exposed themselves. They remained undercover. The press called them ‘The Dynamite’. Sushanth and Natasha put rigorous efforts to listen to Cobalt’s plans again. They made a program called Clean Slate with which they could listen to Cobalt’s plans. As they have Cobalt’s voice they added it in the program. Any call which passes through their respective towers would first pass through their system. If there is any call with that voice, it will be recorded. One day a call was recorded where Cobalt instructs his companion Jack to plant a bomb at the base of Qutub Minar. They were shocked on hearing this. They decided to tell someone trustworthy rather than telling the police. There was a guy called ram. He worked in Sushanth’s and Natasha’s office who was jealous of them. So he called the press and told them that a bomb was planted in the Qutub Minar. On hearing this Govind, Virat and Chang went to Delhi. But they were late…, the bomb had blasted just a minute before their arrival. Though they couldn’t stop the bomb from blasting, they started helping the tourists. This was the first time when they met each other.

Chapter 5:- 5 Man Army

Their first meeting was quite awkward. Govind and Chang were just staring at Natasha. They were trying to talk to her, but both of them were thinking of ways to start the conversation. Then Sushanth said that they should go to some other place. They went to Govind’s mansion. When all of them got there, they stared at the mansion in awe. IT was a huge mansion spread across ten acres.
Is this really yours,” Chang asked Govind.
I have a house like this in all the metro cities,” Govind said.
They saw him the first time when he removed his suit. Then all of them got shocked.
You are Govind?” Chang asked in wonder.
The owner of A&A industries.” Sushanth said.
When they finally got back to their senses, they started introducing themselves. Govind didn’t introduce himself as everyone knew about him. Then Govind told that they should a form a group and put a full stop to Cobalt’s plans. They made Virat the Capitan of their group and named it ‘5MA’. Sushanth told that with the help of Clean Slate they could find all the plans of the Cobalt. They were determined to catch Cobalt and hand him over to the Government.

Chapter 6:-Cobalt’s Evil Plans
After a few days, a call got recorded in the clean Slate where Cobalt instructs his companion Jack to kidnap the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. On hearing this clip, they went to the CM’s residence with the evidence. They gave the clip to the Chief Security officer and on analysis he ordered the security to be full proof and asked the 5MA to help. Virat and Chang were covering the roofs while Govind was in his suit searching for Ariel threats and the security was on the ground. Natasha was with the CM in his cabin, if there is any breach she was to inform the others. Sushanth placed thermal sensors in and around the CM’s residence, but he didn’t place them underground. Jack and five of his companions came through the underground route and kidnapped the CM. He did not know that Natasha was in the cabin as she was hiding under the CM’s cabinet. As soon as they whisked away the CM through underground, Natasha informed the same to the others. Virat, Chang and Govind went underground through the manholes near the residence and were unable to find the CM or any of the kidnapers. Sushanth tells that they were leaving the compound in a Hazmat Truck. Govind came out and started following the truck. When they saw Govind following them, they increased their speed. He was flying above them as he had boosters to his suit. He then fired a tracker which stuck to the rims of the tire. Then he stopped chasing them and returned to the CM’s residence.
Are you mad, why did you stop following them?” Virat asked angrily.
Because I placed a tracker on the truck.” Govind said confidently.
When Sushanth tracked the device it was Five kilometers away from them. When they got there, they saw the truck but it was empty and they left no evidence like fingerprints.
Jack was too clever; he understood that there was something wrong when Govind stopped chasing them. He left that truck there and took another one.

Chapter 7:- Mission Accomplished

Sushanth asks the CSO if there are any ways to find the Chief Minister.
The CM always carries a secret mobile and only I know that number.” said the CSO.
That is enough to track him.” Says Sushanth.
Sushanth tells the other members of 5MA that he can trace the location of the CM and tries to trace his location, but the signal is too weak, so he understands that they kept him somewhere underground.
Clean Slate records another call where Cobalt instructs his companion Jack to plant a bomb near the Charminar. 5MA are in a dilemma if they are to save the CM or the people around the Charminar. Chang gets an idea.
I and Sushanth will go find the bomb and diffuse it. You Virat and Govind search for the CM.” Chang says.
They dispersed into two groups. Chang and Sushanth go to the Charminar and start searching for the bomb while Natasha, Virat and Govind are searching for the CM. Sushanth and Chang found the bomb at the base of Charminar. Then Sushanth tries to reprogram it but it didn’t. He takes a photo of it and sends it to Govind. Govind sees the photo and tells him to wait. Virat finds the place where CM is kept captive. He is surrounded by ten people.
Govind, you go in first and kill as many as you can as your suit is bullet proof and I will cover you.” says Virat.
They have Bazookas.” says Natasha.
I and Natasha will kill all the people with Bazookas first while you kill the others.” says Virat.
Govind kills most of them, but gets hit by the bullet of a Bazooka and falls unconscious. Virat and Natasha kill the others except Jack. Natasha takes the Cm and goes away while Virat aims at Jack and asks:-
Which wire needs to be cut to diffuse the bomb?” Virat asks.
Why should I tell you?” Jack asks.
I will kill you if you don’t.” says Virat.
Blue one.” Jack says.
Virat informs Sushanth to cut the blue wire. Sushanth cuts the blue wire and the countdown stops.
Where is Cobalt?” Virat asks.
He kills himself with a knife before he could answers the question.
Govind wakes up and asks: - “Did we win?”
Yes, But cobalt escaped.” Virat said.
Chapter 8:- Happy Ending.
Sushanth goes through the files of Cobalt. He then understands that Jack was Cobalt. He deliberately had someone call him from Bangladesh so that everyone thinks that he lives in Bangladesh. When he tells this story to the others, they get shocked.
Did we win?” Govind asks again.
Yes!” shout everyone.
The Government of India makes 5MA a part of the Government and the president honors them with medals. The R.A.W asks Virat to join them again but he declines the offer. Sushanth and Natasha start their own Software Company. Govind becomes the Chief Commanding Officer Army, Navy and Air Force.
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