Night Camp for Pre-Primary

To celebrate the graduation of the Pre-Primary children to Primary and equally, to instil independence and social skills our School organized a night camp for the children on 20 March, 2014. 14 teachers including the Head Teacher, the School nurse and seven ayah-didis were present to help make a successful campsite at School.

Initially parents appeared apprehensive but assurance from the teachers and a fun-filled itinerary laid their apprehensions to rest. The children started coming in at 4 pm and by 4: 20 pm, 87 lovely innocent faces had arrived to indulge in their first-ever experience of a night out, all geared-up with loads of energy and enthusiasm. Not to miss were their little individual overnighters carefully packed for the occasion!The teachers welcomed the children as they walked through the School gate and each was led inside. The sparkle on the faces seemed special. Surprisingly there was no sign of the pangs of parting from their parents!

The classrooms, had been set up for 12/13 children per room,( girls and boys separately) , two teachers and an ayah-didi. The children were helped to settle their bags in allocated spots. To start with, the first 15-20 minutes were spent getting familiar with each other, especially those from different sections. The chatter was all about what lay inside their bags, how they would stay up and chat all night etc. At around 5 pm, we moved to the play field where an evening snack awaited us. Happily the children gorged on McDonald burgers and juice.

The snack done, the children were divided in groups of 12 or 13 and each group was allocated a symbol of an animal- the zebra, lion, hippo etc. The groups were now referred to by their symbol. A short session of dance was organized to break the ice further and set the tempo. Our young teachers, Kiran and Devyani had organized games for the children, which had them playing in pairs. By default, the buzzword became 'we' from 'I' and the cheering for their groups was a happy display of early social skills. The paper-dance was particularly popular and the winners were Jasmeh and Harshika from Team Hippo. Other games like 'match the opposites', 'pick the odd one' etc were also played with enthusiasm.

Soon it was 7:30 pm an the children were led back to their rooms where they changed in to their night clothes and then helped make their beds with their teachers and ayah-didis. The children seemed hungry by now and were directed to the dinner venue where a sumptuous dinner awaited them. Noodles, vegetable- manchurian, poori-aloo, kheer and gulab jamuns were. waiting to be eaten. The children lined up, picked up their plates from the stack and steadily moved from item to item. They were helped to serve themselves where they struggled.

Stomachs full, the bonfire was ready to be lit for the children. The music made the mood and several of our little ones began to tap their feet to the familiar beats. Soon many were upon the dance floor, swaying and cheering as the fire was lit. The popcorn had many takers and even the usually reserved children got prompted to join the song and dance. We teachers were pleasantly surprised to witness energy levels not seen before!

We persuaded the children back to the rooms at around 10 pm. They brushed before hitting their pillows. The lights were dimmed as the bedtime stories began. Several of the little ones dropped off to sleep even as the story was narrated, while others chuckled and only slept later. Teachers took hourly rounds to check if all was ok. W were happy he little ones slept soundly through the night. To our surprise, not a single one pined or cried for home. Naturally we felt very reassured that we had managed to secure them in their home away from home that night.

The next morning was a cool and pleasant one and the children were woken up with a smile. They seemed happy and refreshed and responded readily to a ' good morning!'. They freshened up, brushed and got ready for a gentle morning jog. They also made their beds and it was quite a sight to see them work independently. After the jogging and exercise session, hungry and exhausted, the students were ready to devour a hot breakfast which included aloo parathas with butter and dahi. Not to miss cool, flavoured milk to wash it down.

Post- breakfast the students took a stock of their belongings to ensure nothing was left behind. They were very animated and chatted continuously with their teachers and friends. Parents began coming in at 10 am to collect their wards and the children readied to leave reluctantly. Each child was handed a balloon as he or she parted with the teacher. They were happy to see their parents and equally sad to see off their friends and teachers.

Bonds seem built beyond those with immediate friends in class. The confidence also to manage oneself to a great extent. Besides the invaluable orientation of sharing and caring in a common environment. We, teachers felt fulfilled.