Summer School

The Direct Care program at Snehadhara marks the beginning of each vibrant new year with the eagerly anticipated Summer School. Over the years, while the programme has evolved in both form and content to adapt to the changing needs of its participants, its core intent remains steadfast. Summer School is designed to offer children vivid, immersive experiences that go beyond the confines of the classroom, encompassing activities within the center as well as in the broader world outside.

Through carefully curated sessions, the programme fosters social interaction, nurtures independence, and encourages creativity. Each activity is thoughtfully planned to cater to the unique abilities and aspirations of every child, blending fun with learning. Whether through arts, movement, storytelling, or explorations in nature, the Summer School program continues to be a cornerstone of holistic growth, opening pathways for children to connect, explore, and thrive.

Plans for the summer school ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ began early this year and we were all excited to roll it out in an elaborate fashion. The theme we decided to settle on was an exploration of various states from our country and learning about their culture, traditions, cuisines and a lot more of their unique features. However, when the 2nd wave of the pandemic hit us, we quickly realised that we had to once again transform our curriculum to suit the online format. We were crushed but safety came first so overnight, we shifted everything online and revamped our curriculum; keeping the essence of it intact. Ironically, the title became more fitting to the situation, reflecting how, despite the physical distance and difficulties that many have faced at the hands of the virus, we are all still together in spirit. It encouraged us to enjoy the moments of joy and togetherness with the children and frankly, that’s pretty much what our summer school was all about.

Click below to find out the adventures that we went on during our summer school!

It was a hot, sleepy afternoon when Alice saw the White Rabbit scurrying by. She didn’t find it remarkable until he pulled out a pocket-watch from his waistcoat and mumbled about being late. Now she simply had to follow him. And that is how Alice fell down the rabbit hole, got catapulted right into Wonderland and met some of the most interesting characters ever.

Wonderland or Nelamangala is where the all the Alices (children and adults, boys and girls, men and women and all alike and different) of Snehadhara will spend the oncoming summer. Waking up to a wonder-filled experience unlike anything known before is what Summer School 2020 is about. Themed ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ the Summer School is about new experiences, yes, but more than that about transitions. It is about getting comfortable in a setting away from the family, meeting (strange) new people and creatures, and all their individual and collective quirks. Summer School 2020 is about understanding and experiencing growing in all directions not only up and that too outside the home. And yet, about finding home within. It is about finding release from the stress of city traffic and waking up to the sound of silence in tree-lined avenues. It is about befriending monkeys and squirrels and caterpillars and also about chasing butterflies.

A new place demands new approaches and there may be many of those at Nelamangala. The idea of travel will take on a new dimension during the Summer School 2020. The first layer is about travelling away from home. There is travel from the city to the new Centre. Apart from that there is travel around the new campus – getting to know new plants and creatures and clouds and trees. There is travel to nearby landmarks and much exploration of the skills required in exploration and adjustment to completely new contexts. Most of all there will be travel well outside of the comfort zone of certainty.

In Wonderland, the same food will taste different and produce (possibly) better growth rates. This will be because this is Wonderland, of course, but also because the children and adults of Wonderland take on new routines in the brand new kitchen and dining area with experiences of cooking and cleaning and homemaking in a very new sense of the word.

When awake, many new dreams will be lived in reality by the students, facilitators and staff of Snehadhara Foundation. When asleep, they will hear the crickets weaving them newer dreams and feel the sprinkle of magic dust falling from the star spangled sky.

Our aspirations for Summer School 2019-2020 were to weave artistic endeavours in as many spaces, with as many people and through as many experiences as possible for our children-– delving into new crafts, exploring new territories, greedily lapping up experiences through our interactions with each other and the new people we meet, all leading to enormous learning and revelations of spirit.

The Summer School this year saw a lot more Artists at the Centre and also the children travelled within and outside the city. Themed ‘People and Places,’ this was a summer of travel and new friendships, brand new hobbies and colourful portfolios. New relationships opened up with skills previously unexplored, in places familiar and unfamiliar.

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Every year we create new memories of what epitomises Summer Vacations. It has often been about visiting friends and relatives and making new friends in new places.

Summer School 2018-2019 presented Meil Milaap, as the focus of the month of April where we ventured out to each other’s homes and other welcoming spaces to share our ‘sunful’ joy and partake of the generosity of our hosts. We devised a large canvas for ourselves to harness every possible ray of senses to touch and feel and explore; there was song and dance and paint, lots and lots of paint and colour as well as food in many hues, textures and tantalising tastes.

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We believe what we learn outside the classroom is equally and a lot more important than what we learn inside. Each year our Summer School edition brings to children experiences where learning is fun and fun is learning. Dhoop Dhamal 2017 offered expeditions into the world of culinary delights, object theatre, dance and movement and wondrous weaves. It paved the way for a different experience in the culinary world for our children. They cooked together, they served together, they powered their creativity and gave a kick start to the cafe ‘Obattoo’. The highlight of the summer school was the 3 day trip to Devaraya Samudra, an excursion that created learning opportunities beyond the confines of boundaries and opened up a world of beauty and warmth.

Summer School 2016- brought The Inside Out Summer Camp to the children. Along with Outlife, an outdoor adventure based organisation, a space was created where some children from Snehadhara spent 3 nights and 4 days with children from other schools at Gunina Farms. And new meaning was crafted for independence skills and inclusion. All children were able to bend their patterns, create new ones and forge diverse relationships.

From gardening, to sessions on body awareness, games, making paper flowers and poster colours to making fryums and listening to a soul rendering performance…Summer school was fun and learning unplugged. The focus this summer school was on cooking to hone motor skills. It was a riot of fun and frolic that revealed and celebrated the skills and abilities of all the members of Snehadhara.

The summer school ‘Atota Lakmose’ this year was a six week program that saw a heterogeneous group of children- the children at the center, their siblings and friends- experience art in its various forms. The children together enjoyed sessions in visual art, storytelling, puppetry, baking, gardening, pottery, dance and movement, and theatre. The various learnings from the summer school culminated with an hour long performance at ‘Paradigm Shift Café’.