The city which has always been known for its education institutions, is gradually also becoming home to several platforms and organisation that strive to make learning a fun experience for children. One such is the less than a year old Merry Go Learn (MGL) started by IIT/IIM alumna Komal Arora in J P Nagar.
Around 30 students ranging 6 to 13 years from the organisation demonstrated what they had learnt to an audience for the first time in the premises of the Puttenhalli lake in J P Nagar on Sunday. They showed the gathering how to read ‘secret messages’ written in sodium carbonate - pink writing appeared on apparently blank pieces of paper after phenolphthalein was sprayed on them. Preethi, a student, amazed the audience when she managed to stick a plastic straw into a potato, explaining that blocking one end on the straw, preventing air passage, makes the straw firm enough to pierce the potato. Two nine-year-olds Hemanth and Lakshiita played with shadows of different hues as they selectively blocked particular colours.
“MGL offers an after-school programme. We supplement what children have learnt in the classroom, not trying to replicate or replace it,” said Usha Krishnamurthy, centre manager, MGL.
Although students are encouraged to imbibe concepts related to maths and science and make presentations about them, this was the first time the children were part of an event outside of the organisation.
Said founder Komal Arora, “Some of the kids would barely open their mouths in class two months ago, and here we had them compering, cracking jokes, holding the audience’s attention.”
She added that students had also set up DIY science experiment stalls featuring what the children have come up with. Apart from showcasing what they had learnt, as the event was a collaborative initiative with the Puttennahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) that has revived the Puttenahalli lake, residents and members of the trust also spoke to the students about the process. “They asked for volunteers, and many children, at least those who live in J P Nagar have started thinking of how the space could be used better,” added Komal.
“I was so proud to see my daughter on stage,” Madhuri Fulsunge, mother of eight-year-old Sristi told City Express. “Her presentation showed that she has really taken interest in maths and science over the course of this academic year. Also, what those who came from PNLIT said about water conservation, bird watching and conserving the environment has gone and taken root firmly in her little mind,” she shared.