Chilling around!

Worried about your children becoming couch potatoes or their childhood crumbling under the burden of studies? Then maybe you can expose your child to a world of art...

As Christmas vacations come calling, winter camps give kids a much-needed break from studies

Worried about your children becoming couch potatoes or their childhood crumbling under the burden of studies? Then maybe you can expose your child to a world of art, adventure and creativity this season, as many city-based organisations have come up with winter camps, promising a plethora of activities. While some camps flaunt unique themes, others focus on personality development of the kids in their own innovative ways.

Vineet Singh, founder of United Arts Society which is organising a three-day winter camp called Granny8217;s Courtyard, says, 8220;There should be a little bit of art in every life. Today, children miss out on regular visits to their grandparent8217;s place and learning rural and folk art forms under their guidance, contrary to the earlier times. In this camp, children will get to learn many interesting arts and crafts under the supervision of a grandmother while giving wings to their creativity in a rural ambience. Moreover, the theme also promotes a stronger bond between grandparents and children.8221;

Today, when the popular nomenclature for the younger generation is Gizmo Kids, camps like Granny8217;s Courtyard tend to blow a whiff of fresh air into robotic lives, where young minds are exposed to rustic yet exclusive arts of rural India. From making scarecrows to learning the nuances of clay modeling and pottery, it will be a totally unique experience for the kids.

Making the winter vacations of the children more meaningful and productive, such camps allow kids to blossom into smart individuals by focusing on their team building and leadership skills. 8220;The idea behind such camps is to promote the all round development of the children as they get to learn interpersonal and life skills. This is something that classroom theory can never teach them and which demands practical experience,8221; says Arundhati Bhatt, director, Igniting Minds.

The children8217;s division of Beyond Horizon, an organisation that deals with corporate outbound management programs, Igniting Minds is organising a five-day winter camp for nine to 16 year-olds with the underlining theme of 8216;Experiential learning through adventure camps8217;. The camp lines up a whole bunch of adventure sports, games and other interesting activities for its participants, including night cooking.

Organising a two-phase winter camp on similar lines, Nina Nagpal, director of Wonder Years says, 8220;Owing to the importance of social etiquette in an individual8217;s life, such camps help in total grooming of the child and whatever they learn in these camps, proves to be helpful throughout their lives.8221;

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With a host of activities like dramatics, yoga sessions, dance and music classes, painting classes, story telling and gardening sessions, city kids have a great opportunity to experience an interesting meacute;lange of fine and performing arts at these winter camps. And while the fundamental idea of nurturing innocence remains constant, the settings have changed 8212; from the cozy portico of grandma8217;s home to artificially-created ambience complimented with that extra bit of jazz. However, everything is welcome till it8217;s about focusing on the all-round development of the little angels.