Excursion to the School eco park - class 7

Students learn best when they are motivated. How to motivate them is the perennial question? We, at The Indian School, have for long understood the importance of field trips to promote experiential learning amongst students.

On 27th December, 2018, fifty students of class 7 embarked on an exciting journey into the countryside accompanied by three teachers, Ms. Archana Sharma, Mr. Pallav Roy and Mr. Suraj.

The bus rolled through the cold and indifferent morning, its innards warm and snug with the excited chatter of 13 year olds! On reaching the destination, the feisty learners were divided up in three groups. Concepts and principles took a definite shape as the teachers brought alive the life-sized interactive science models installed in the park. These are specially erected by School to provide istudents a hands-on experience of the several basic principles of Physics.

One-dimensional diagrams and pictures in the textbook gave way to a 4-D presentation of the Musical Tubes, Parabolic Dishes, a DNA Model, Reflecting Mirrors, the Double-ended Cone, Mass Inertia, Third Order Liver etc. The students were delighted to be able to touch, to feel and to experience the installed equipment. Thus, play and learn took definite shape as the teachers and students actively participated in a cohesive learning environment.

Next, the children indulged in leisure activities as they played throwball and football. This small break was followed by a visit to the farming area. There were manifold rows of vegetable beds laden with winter vegetables. Luscious and organic radish, spinach, beetroot, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes beckoned invitingly. The students eagerly picked vegetables of their choice under the watchful eyes of the gardeners. Their delight knew no bounds on learning that they could take their harvest home!

After several hours of enjoying their time in the lap of nature, the pleased lot of students returned with their pickings in smug anticipation of moms response to their maiden effort at vegetable picking!

Undoubtedly, the lesson in physics learnt in the great outdoors would be etched in their memory for long.

Mannsi Agrawal, class 7 E