Pottery Fun!

Learning pottery was a long term wish...finally we started with our other homeschooler friend. It's a two hour morning class, twice in a week. It's actually not class ...not have to worry from timing to which days we will attend , everything flexible and no class like environment.....it's just learning with fun.

Since Nagji kaka ( our pottery teacher ) complete his routine and prepare soil, children enjoy warming up with 'chulha' in his backyard, collect broken pot pieces, empty match boxes, used string rolls etc. They bake small pots they prepared in 'chulha' and many more fire experiments!!!. His backyard is very interesting for children as it has kitchen garden, lots of different size and shape pots, pottery kiln, place to prepare soil etc. So, many interesting things generates so many questions.

Then on pottery wheel children try to make many small pots under Nagjikaka's guidance. It is amazing thing for them that so many pots can be build from such a small lump of soil , slight pressure and angle of touch can make change on spinning soil and create different shaped pots. It requires good concerntration and control over hands. Nagjikaka has two students and while one is on pottery wheel other is playing with Megh or Nagjikaka's grandson or with puppies, experiment with 'chulha' or just take some snack bites.

This place is in Surat but locality and environment are different and children enjoys this difference very much. After pottery class sometimes we visits to cattle shed nearby. It's good chance to meet different people along with making friendship with cows and buffalos!

While returning. at river lots of seagulls adding beauty to the scene catches children's attention.

So, this is our typical pottery class morning.

Puppet mania

In past we have made finger and straw puppets, and since long like I forgot puppets. Before Dashera I have visited Shreyas School, Ahmedabad. Puppets in museum suddenly awaken me and I fall in love with puppets. I was sure it will similarly affect Ashna too.

Started with making of Ravan. On Dashera we made Ravan (w/o crackers) and burnt it.

Downloaded and saw children some puppet shows. First experimented with shadow puppet…..as it is simple and surprising for children. Almost more than a week after darkness, shadow puppetry was our daily program. It was amazing for them to see how they can create different animal’s shadow with just their hands and how small things appears bigger on screen.

Then after making puppets is constant demand from Ashna. I promised them making more puppets after Diwali and they started collecting things. Small balls for heads, gloves,wool,googly eyes,lolly sticks,sketch pen etc….and almost everything which is trash now going to collection for puppets.

Once we made simple card paper puppet, found need of story. Ashna has big plan, making beautiful puppet theatre and making all characters of a story like snow white and seven dwarfts. She made some non moveable characters then found problem how to represent it. Slowly we came to face different aspect of puppetry. Whenever she asks me something I have to answer, “Beta, I don’t know more than you ”. With experience she learnt that we are still on the stage of A,B,C…need to learn more for big plan.

Then selected a story of three billy goats and she made three different sized goats from card paper, a troll and a bridge and represented story. But still needed something more…..moving characters!

We have seen movie “Kathputli”…though movie has few scene where can see puppet, Megh liked that kathputli song and picked up himself how they make puppets dance and sound related to it. He enjoys entertaining us by imitating kathputli.

We want puppet with speech and action now. We made glove and string puppets. Megh presents show with glove puppet without story. Ashna happy with her string puppets and in search of making simple story, song or jokes. Dreaming new kind of puppet and puppet theatre everyday…it’s like mania, always in thoughts of puppets. I am trying for arranging puppet workshop. Let’s see but right now we are learning, experimenting and enjoying puppets.

Joy of making

Few days back Megh came to me and said “Mummy, see this is my simple JCB” he has a cloth pin in his hand and show me how it can pick, lift and place thing! After pretending play of animals and shop-owner now he is interested in different kind of vehicles… especially trucks & JCB!!! He tried making JCBs from different things…from shafts and some parts Nikhil use in his machine, sometimes using bamboo sticks & rubber bands etc. Love to play with car he make using Mechanix.

Ash loves to make drawings, making different kind of homes with her Architecture set and ornaments using beads, flowers and sometimes using beads from cutting papaya branch.



Apart from this we make many toys. Sudarshan Khanna’s book Joy of making Indian toys is good source for making simple toys and another very useful source is www.arvindguptatoys.com Many simple toys we make from trash ,some house hold things or sometimes buy cheaper items from hardware store and make toys which children loves most.

Children’s toy psychology is complex…..which toys they like or how longer will it be his/her attraction…difficult to say. When they select a toy from toyshop, we feel that they will use it fully but you found it somewhere roaming next day. Some children like passive toys like soft toys and enjoy imaginative plays and some like active participation with toys. Sometimes box of toy interest them more than toy itself. Cost of toy never matter or important to children obviously. Sometimes they break costly toys driven by their curiosity and sometimes a trash becomes their favorite toy!

Toys are their best friends and teach different skills with fun. But when you make toy yourself creativity involved will sensitized children. Shree Arvind Gupta is doing wonderful work in this field and his website has amazing collection of toys, children can make themselves or with help of adult.




Simple toys like marble train and spiral snake too kept Ash & Megh busy for hours. In fact, for days. It is interesting to see that they tried different tracks from broom sticks & clay and when marbles not rolling smoothly they troubleshoot themselves. With spiral snake too they were always experimenting why straw beads get struck or how can we move them fast or slow by stretching spiral.

Making toys encourage creativity and perfection. If design or measurement not proper it will not work and then they troubleshoot problem. It is amazing to see their cheerful faces while they are enjoying these toys. When they will come to know science behind these toys later, it will be more surprising for them. Today they are always busy thinking of making one thing or other and store trash for it. Y’day morning Megh came with straw and paper and wanted to make watch from it... I helped him by writing no. & attached straw with push-pin and here is his watch model!!!

Drama Workshop

I came to read Gijubhai about importance of play, instead reading or telling story if children can play characters of story it is more enriching experience than just listening and imagination of story. We are used to play stories from Gijubhai's balnagari like Sassabhai sankaliya, Dalo Tarwadi etc at home. But I always wished Ash get such chance with someone attached to this field. From somewhere I came to know about drama workshop conducted at Pruthvi Theatre and was planning to go mumbai for it, was not aware that such activities going on in surat too.

So when I read about drama workshop at Sahitya sangam, asked Ash's opinion ,with my surprise she got ready immediately if timing does not effect her gymnastics schedule. She intended to spend some days at our village, but experiencing something new was more exciting...with all of us surprise she refused to go village with her grandpa.

Drama workshop conducted by Prakash Maheta and his assistants who has 30 years experience in this field. First day he introduced us subject of drama...a different view to the problem of child labours. Family conditions and poverty forces some children to work , they are not intended to work themselves.And if old age people can earn,women can earn then why children can't earn and help their family? A.R. Raheman earning money since he was 9 year old, even Abdul Kalam was used to sale newspaper in childhood. Children can earn money working in play,serial etc. Today's education is not less labour some...school,tuition,homework,exam. Then why children can't do labour work. Then employer take advantage and exploit such children.



Total three scenes in play. Ashna got role of Bilal's friend (Bilal is protagonist and in custody) and her entry in last scene. She thoroughly enjoyed this workshop except 4-5 days when she had to do nothing. Total 27 days of workshop, they learned lot about proper pronunciation, variations in sound & volume, timing and how to represent themselves on stage. Ash learned importance of clear pronunciation and now conscious about it. Children got aware of their body lang., walking style,talking style and some wrong habits they were following subconsciously. At last after 27 days hard work they presented play "Amane kam karva do" beautifully. This is team work and I must say everyone played their role quiet properly.

What changes it made in Ashna? She is bubbling all dialogues of drama whole day with all its variations and expressions. As I said proper pronunciation and other is she developed new interest in drama. Until now she was like drama is not my cup of tea but now she is very much interested to join any of drama workshop conducted by Prakash Sir. To direct children is not easy ,but Prakash Sir's dedication,discipline & perfection to his work must be praised. Children didn't mind if he got angry because they already know there must be their mistake. He even equally divided work so that every child get chance .

Thanks to Sahitya Sangam - Nanu bapa and Janakbhai, for providing such opportunity for children...they learned,played,made friends and enjoyed lot.

Medium of education

Lot has been written on Gujarati medium v/s English medium. On 21^st Feb. this year we came to know about “world mother tongue day”. As usual column writers have written articles according to their different beliefs, at some places some programs and rallies. What will be the result?. Sometimes I doubt any usefulness behind celebrating such days.

Very controversial issue, though majority on the side of English medium! It’s surprising! Question is if majority on the side of English medium, why it is still a controversial issue?

Why people choose Gujarati medium?..... they don’t want to give more burden of education and mostly because Gujarati medium students can score better than English medium students! I appreciate concern of no more load parents but “score” is just ridiculous reason.

Now why English? They have thousands reason for it. English is an international lang., English learning students are more intelligent, better scope of admission for higher education, better for higher studies, we can teach Gujarati at home too etc. etc.

I accept that text books of our Gujarat board are just boring and Gujarati schools are not up to the level of today’s shiny English school and backward in adopting new methods and research.Digitization is not enough. Instead improving standard of education, schools and textbooks we are running behind English without thinking much.

People selecting English medium argues where is good Gujarati school? Let me ask them if you are polluting this earth at this rate where will you find better place to live?

Anyways I’m writing this post just for people who think we can teach Gujarati at home and let children study in English medium. Kanti Bhatt has suggested this solution to me years ago. And Bhaven Kachchi has written article which sounds same.

I was a person always complaining my mother for not selecting English medium but when I had to take decision as mother I studied deep and finally choose Gujarati, thankfully Nikhil who studied in English and thoroughly believed it must be English convinced and still firm on this decision and supported fully.

What made me change my view towards English medium? I know importance of English and have complete respect as a lang. same as I love my mother tounge. But when you are living in Gujarat in whole Gujarati environment and not possible to make English a family lang. then it must be Gujarati medium.

What is the difference between study in guj. & learning english at home and study in eng. & learning gujarati at home? It makes difference in early education. Medium of early education effects lot many aspects. Apart from emotional and cultural issues more important is scientific aspect. It’s minor but very very important difference.

Here is a link which helped us lot when we were in this dilemma.

http://www.und.ac.za/und/ling/archive/bell-01.html

If you are really interested to know difference pl. go th. this paper. How it adversely effect “conginitive skills” which are more important in academic than just learning a language.

Sandpaper letters

We prepare some learning aids at home like Cuisenaire rods for multiplication/division, flash cards for english, fishing game made from magnets,paper & small nails for Megh to count 1 to 10....but Sandpaper Letters are different thing!

It is Madam Montessori's discovery. Gijubhai has written in detail about it in his book "Montessori Padhdhati". Knowing letters by vision, sound (phonic) and touch! Making sand paper letters is simple and cheap. Mirror printing of alphabets and stick it to zero no. sand paper sheet, cut and stick on hard paper covered with smooth paper. Letter and background should be in contrast.



Megh always enjoy touch of water,soil,mud,clay,flour or anything he is curious about. So I was damn sure that he will like sand paper letters. He likes to feel letters by fingers. But his interest to know different character is amazingly enthusiastic and energetic. Sometimes he comes with letters or whenever he see them in my hands or by accident found this snap above while watching butterfly pictures on pc or on the road/in newspaper wherever he find characters he know, smile comes to his face, eyes shine and with full of energy he initiate identification.
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Later I found wonderful book of Madam Maria Montessori "The Discovery of the Child", probably Gijubhai has written "Montessori Padhdhati" from this book. Methods for sense development,reading,writing,maths explained in details and feels simple th amazing.

First month of 2009

Butterfly garden is a new passion we developed at the end of 2008. Since last month we all spent morning in garden...planning,digging,plantation,capturing butterfly pictures etc. Megh is more interested in digging, enjoys soil with all senses and very much surprised by growth of bamboo. He takes everyone to show how tall is bamboo today!Since last two days he dig and then by putting wooden stick across pit makes bridge, fill pit with water and surprisingly notice how speedily water absorb and then enjoy playing with mud. Ashna learned surface water and underground water previous day,so she got exact idea how soil absorb rain water and it becomes underground water. She is more interested in different flowers ,plantation and making mud puddle. We learnt from butterfly park that ripen fruits are butterfly delight and we already managing garbage dump (for compost) which almost always have peels and ripen fruits. So our butterfly garden is about to complete and many butterflies visits our garden during sunlight and found fluttering around us. New interest developed is identifying butterflies and capture their images. Butterfly garden is our team work and we all are enjoying it. Along with enjoyment children acquire many useful skills and knowledge.



Since this month Ash joined drawing class , so her saturday,sunday schedule became bit tight but as she enjoys all three activities kathak,drawing and gymnastics she don't mind it and waits for weekend. Drawing and gymnastics are her natural interests and interest for kathak cultivated by efforts. She was never interested in classical dance or any form of dance...before joining kathak shown her famous hindi film kathak dances. Earlier she formed idea that because mummy could not learn it so she wish that I go for dance,then one morning we have long discussion on our culture and heritage,what we need to change and what we should preserve,and advantages of learning classical dance and most important that because it is good for her she is learning kathak not only for mumma's wish. Our discussion started from use of vibrant colours in our dressing which is different from European countries. Touch of truly devoted Gurus (Smruti & Paresh Vora) to this art is helping lot to cultivate it. This month we attended our first classical dance program and she enjoyed Odissie.

Celebrating Uttrayan is special in Surat and Ash is very passionate about colourful different kites. Though could not succeed to fly kite she tried hard for 3-4 days and confident that upto next year she will learn it.

Ash's gymnastics coach Bharat Patel is gujarati-hindi teacher in his school and he has given some tips for teaching language. It is working and her reading-writing Gujarati is improved. In maths,learned division and introduced fraction. She developed interest in phonics and reading simple english so brought some good books.

Megh is enjoying Gijubhai's stories and "Undar bhai ne aankho aavi" from Dr. I.K.Vijaliwala nowadays. Some story books from National book trust are his fav. He is introduced to Gujarati alphabets this month using Navneet's hard cover book and sand paper letters. Now wherever finds them, point them enthusiastically and love catching letters in newspapers. He loves to sing english alphabet song and identify some of them too. Sometimes writing urges high,comes with pencil and paper and try to write or draw something,get excited if found some shape and enjoy Dora's magic pad and paint with water book.