To the University Afterschool!

There is a lot of talk about the need for Universities to open up their doors to the community. Kudos to the University of Hyderabad for doing so!

The Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication now has a new building on the University of Hyderabad campus at Gachibowli. A week-long cultural fiesta was organized (March 13-19) on the occasion by the University. The best part - it was open to the public. I attended the final day of the festival - a wonderful music and dance performance by students from the Mahasarakham University, Thailand.

If you live around Gachibowli, Kondapur, Miyapur, BHEL... keep an eye out for happenings at the University of Hyderabad - they can make a wonderful afterschool learning opportunity. You can check out their website for upcoming events.

Create Comics Afterschool

I mentioned about internet resources for comic creation in an earlier post. But this one is different: it is about creating paper and pen comics - and, more importantly for a purpose.

A good way to get children think about issues - development, environment, poverty, peace... is to get them to communicate about them in creative ways. What better way than a comic strip?

World Comics India has a simple, to-the-point manual to help you get started. It gives useful tips on creating comics (do check out the pages on Common Errors). Here is the link to the manual.

Great Teacher Resources for Afterschool

Tulika Books has some really good resource books for teachers - on story telling and art for now. Here is the link to the website.

Take a look around - especially at their books for children. They are wonderful - imaginative stories, great production, charming illustrations. The only 'problem' is that they are a little expensive. So while they may be great for the library in a school or afterschool center, making a personal collection may not be affordable to many.

Muggu Kolam Rangoli for Afterschool!

A nice site on Muggu is ikolam. It is a community site - you can learn to make kolam patterns, contribute your own, take part in contests, etc. There is also a Kids section on the site. It does not have much but the two memory games based on kolam/muggu designs should be interesting.

The NCERT math textbooks now have exercises on kolam designs! So having kids to copy kolam patterns or conjure up some of their own can fit confortably into your afterschool math class!

Play with Clay Afterschool!

I think its a great idea - having a place to 'make' your own ceramic stuff.

The Color Factory lets you choose a piece of ceramic (coffee mug, soap dish,...) then lets you paint your own design on it (yes, they give you the supplies). You leave the place with a receipt and collect your glazed and fired art piece in a couple of days. The pricing is reasonable too - my little one tried her hands on a little bird for Rs. 80. They also have take-away kits. Get the supplies from The Color Factory and give them the painted peice to glaze and fire for you.

They have outlets at Delhi, Gurgaon, Goa, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Actually, I haven't written all that they have to offer - so do visit the website.

Draw the Best for Afterschool!

Here is a wonderful workbook on drawing from Eklavya. It is ready to use 'off-the-shelf'. More importantly, it will help you in designing more activities to help children draw creatively (rather than restricting themselves to copying a drawing).

Do not miss browing around Eklavya's site. There are some great books for download. Also, do look at the list of publications. You might like getting some for your afterschool library.

Meet Potter Afterschool!

Yes, the REAL potter - who can teach you to make pots yourself!

Pottery is catching up on the afterschool scene. Here is an article about pottery workshops in Hyderabad that got me looking around for more.

A listing of the pottery resources in other Indian cities:

Hyderabad: Saptaparni
Chennai: DakshinaChitra
Mumbai: Sophia
Delhi: Delhi Blue Pottery Trust