With the Covid-19 pandemic having ruined two consecutive summer holidays, parents and children are set to celebrate the first post-pandemic summer holiday with vengeance. We present some enjoyable, enriching and immersive summer activity options writes Cynthia John, Mini P. & Catharinal Silvia. M

With the summer holidays approaching, there’s a discernible buzz of excitement in the air which is getting louder by the day.
After the Covid-19 pandemic having ruined two consecutive summer holidays, parents and children are set to celebrate the first post-pandemic summer holiday with a vengeance. Even as children are drawing up plans to vacation in India and abroad, newspapers and social media are awash with ads offering summer camps and upskilling activities ranging from computer coding, art and crafts, music, dance, and theatre classes to sports coaching, adventure and outdoor activities.

The consensus of opinion among educators and parenting experts is that children should be encouraged to utilise the long eight-weeks summer vacation not only to frolic in sun-n-sand, but also enjoyably learn new skills, engage in immersive learning experiences while taking a break from stressful school routines. Therefore, while consciously avoiding the temptation to hurtle children from one summer class to another, parents are advised to encourage children to learn a new skill, play games/sports and co-curricular activity (music, dance, theatre) which interests them.

In this summer issue of PW, we present some enjoyable, enriching and immersive summer activity options:

Coding/Robotics classes
During the pandemic lockdown of education institutions, a popular upskilling activity for children was to sign up for online robotics and computer coding courses. This summer, several edtech companies are offering in-class courses for children to learn the basics of robotics design and engage in hands-on practical learning in labs and makerspaces.
“A large number of tech entrepreneurs have hit the jackpot because they started learning computer coding when they were children. For children who love computer science and its many mind-boggling applications, I strongly advise informal coding and robotics classes this summer. It will not only give them a good non-academic, practical introduction to these new-age sciences but also teach them vital critical thinking and application skills, ignored in school curriculums,” advises Dhananjay Singh, Bangalore-based founder of Roboprenr.com, which offers coding, robotics and STEM skilling classes where children learn informally.

Some PW suggestions:

Maker’s Loft
Courses: Space-themed STEM skills for children aged 3-12 years
Activities: Complete space-themed projects in teams while learning coding and robotics design
Dates: May 15-19, May 22-26, May 29-June 2
Screen-free coding for 4-7 year olds
Price: Rs.3,750 (5 days)
Location: Kolkata
Contact: 8240537675
Website: makersloft.in

Roboprenr.com
Courses: Introduction to robot electronics, scratch game development, robot mechanical (with kit), RoboHacks Competition 2023
Age: 8-18 years
Duration: 2 weeks; 5 days per week; total 20 hours
Date: March 20-31
Price: Rs.8,000-12,500
Location: Bangalore, online at roboprenr.com

Connecting with nature
Hectic school schedules don’t offer children the time to explore nature and outdoor activities. Summer holidays offer an opportune time to take a break from urban life and connect with the ecology and natural environments.

“Children are naturally drawn to nature, its flora and fauna. Summer vacations offer parents the opportunity to enrol children in short duration summer camps and activities. While unpolluted natural habitats will rejuvenate and revive their minds and spirits, they also get to learn about different types of plants and animals,” says Samantha Ross, who conducts summer camps for children together with award-winning wildlife photographer Phillip Ross at The Outback Farm and Homestay, Bengaluru.

Getting out of crowded, polluted cities and engaging in camping, trekking and river rafting activities also enables children to develop important life skills such as self-reliance, team work, confidence and resilience. “Learning about nature can be a transformational experience for children. As part of our programmes at Jim Corbett National Park, we take children to nearby villages to witness and experience rural life. We also educate them about local flora and fauna. Moreover, we offer several adventure activities such as trekking, camping, and white water river rafting. Understanding how nature works is a refreshing and enlightening experience for children, and participating in outdoor activities builds important life skills such as self-reliance, teamwork and self-confidence,” says Raj Singh, a wildlife enthusiast and tourist guide at the Jim Corbett National Park, Ranikhet.

PW recommendations:

Outlife
Programme: Outdoor camping (tent pitching and trenching, outdoor survival skills, star gazing, bird watching, rock climbing, rappelling, valley crossing and zipline, raft building, outdoor cooking, map reading and navigation)
Time: April-May
Contact: camps@outlife.in, 98220 93577

Young naturalist programme
Activities: Tracking wild Asiatic elephants, tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears and many nocturnal wanderers including the rare honey badger or ratel. Also bird watching and photography. The Bannerghatta National Park hosts 200 species of birds, including the yellow-throated bulbul and rufous-bellied eagle, among others.
Age: 10-16 yrs
Date: April 20-22; April 26-28, May 7-9
Location: The Outback Farm & Homestay Bannerghatta, Karnataka
Contact: 9886199035
Website: www.theoutbackexperience.in/

Jim Corbett National Park, Ranikhet
Activities: Jeep and elephant safari, wildlife safari, rapelling, wall-climbing, ziplining, camping, village excursions
Contact: 9719251197
Website: corbettpark@gmail.com

Adventure sports
Adventure sports are becoming popular with families countrywide. They provide an adrenaline rush, push children out of their comfort zone and overcome fear. They are also good for family bonding.

A multiplying number of adventure sports companies countrywide are offering camps and programmes (ranging from one-day to seven day residential options) this summer. Adventure sports activities include parasailing, zorbing, rafting, paragliding among others.

“With many companies in India offering excellent gliding equipment and high safety standards, paragliding is becoming quite popular especially with children. Most organisers allow children above the age of six to fly. Paragliding is a great way to initiate children into adventure sports and most importantly overcome fear and build self-confidence,” says Satish Kumar P, instructor, Adventure Aero Sports Association, Chennai.

Paragliding providers include:

Adventure Aero Sports Association
Location: Pattipulam, Chennai
Contact: 9488011194
Email manikannan1275@gmail.com

Bangalore AeroSports
Location: Jakkur, Bangalore
Contact: 98459 37599
Email: info@bangaloreaerosports.in

College-readiness programmes
Most secondary school students are unprepared for college/university life and undecided about their academic stream and future careers. To ready them for higher education, several universities in India have initiated 5-14 days residential summer programmes.

In these preparatory programmes, school children are familiarised with various subject options/study programmes, they interact with faculty and experience campus life. PW recommendations:

Ashoka University-Young Scholars Program
This residential summer programme of the high-ranked Ashoka University, Sonipat provides secondary school students exposure to inter-disciplinary liberal arts and science education led by world-class facilitators.
“The intensive experiential programme includes lecture sessions across nine academic disciplines, discussion groups, 21st century skill workshops, interactions with top faculty, industry leaders and counselors as well as numerous opportunities for social, creative and sports pursuits,” says a Ashoka University spokesperson.
Duration: 5-10 days
Date: May 22-June 2
Location: Ashoka University, Sonipat
Price: Rs.45,000-70,000

Amity University Summer School Programme
Amity University, Noida (ranked #1 in the EW India University Rankings 2022-23) offers a two-week summer school programme. High school students experience university campus life, learn about different study options and interact with faculty.
Location: Amity University, Noida
Dates: 5-16 June, 2023
Contact: summerschool@amity.edu

3 unusual things to try this summer

The enriching summer activities suggested in this story apart, PW editors recommend parents/children to experiment with the following unusual pursuits:

Disconnect with the online world. Will you be able to survive as a family without accessing the internet for 48 hours? How about a week? The summer vacation is a good time to find out whether your family can take a break from smartphones, laptops, tablets and other digital gadgets. So this summer, do a digital detox for a minimum 24 hours and initiate non-digital family activities such as playing board games, story-telling sessions, rustling up culinary treats, etc.

Internships/apprenticeships. Summer jobs / internships are ideal for adolescent children to experience real world workplaces. Discuss with your child if she would like to spend a month interning with a business/company. The internet has a plethora of internship suggestions for teenage children in India.

Delegate household chores. Depending on your child’s age, you can entrust some household chores to her. You may be pleasantly surprised to see the precision and patience with which your four-year-old can fold his clothes. Cleaning a room, fetching groceries, doing the laundry, cooking… are all critical life skills. Summer holidays are a good time to start learning these skills.

Being bored is good!

Thaasophobia or fear of boredom, is a contagion in contemporary society. Therefore, all too often parents overwhelm children with constant activity — hobby classes, widgets and gadgets, music, swimming, tennis lessons etc. But a growing number of child psychologists and counsellors say that boredom is good for children’s cognitive development.

The renowned British philosopher, peacenik and polymath Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) attributed the development of his brilliant inquisitional, free-thinking and creative mind to lonely summers spent on his country estate.

More contemporary research studies indicate that in periods of boredom, the brain enters a dormant state, hindering functions linked with self-control and language processing. However, certain other regions of the brain — known as the default network — become active and connect unrelated thoughts and sort information. This is confirmed by Teresa Belton and Esther Priyadharshini of East Anglia University, UK, in a paper published in the Cambridge Journal of Education (2007), which argues that boredom must “be recognised as a legitimate human emotion that can be central to learning and creativity”.

The best example of boredom prompting genius is Albert Einstein. As a 26-year-old bored clerk at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, Switzerland, Einstein wrote five scientific papers, including the Law of the Photoelectric Effect (which won him the Nobel Prize) and the historic Theory of Relativity which revolutionised science.

So don’t pack your children’s summer vacations with day-long activities!