“WHAT WE LEARN WITH PLEASURE WE NEVER FORGET.”- ALFRED MERCIER

As we come close to the end of another academic year we continue to make learning a pleasurable and memorable experience for each child at The Choice School, Thiruvalla. In the month of February we continued to reinvent ourselves by using fun and imaginative resources to keep the passion of learning burning.

Bringing you the power of education

9

CRAZY HAT DAY

Nothing like a little ingenuity, a splash of colour and a little madness to make a mundane Monday morning exciting; in the form of Crazy Hat Day. The students of Grade 4 designed and repurposed some unique, crazy and fun hats. These hats stirred up quite an excitement among the students as they spent their time marvelling and appreciating each other’s creation. A special thank you to the parents who made this day creative and fun.

BIRD CALLInspired by a famous Hindi poem ‘Koyal’ by poetess Subhadra Kumari Chauhan the students of Grade 3 drew beautiful pictures of the Cuckoo bird which is called Koyal in Hindi. They also showcased their beautiful Hindi handwriting in the posters they created. The students enjoyed learning the poem which is an interesting description of the Cuckoo bird, which is famous for its distinctive ‘koo-kooo’ call. The students enjoyed the activity as it taught them to appreciate nature around them and life lessons like respect and obedience.

READ, READ, READ!

Somebody asked Shashi Tharoor, who is known for his oratory and skillful use of words, for three suggestions on how to improve vocabulary? He said “Read, Read, Read”. It’s a sad fact of this age that many no longer read newspapers or books but instead prefer to be entertained by screens. The age old passion for reading has to be rediscovered. The little ones of Grade 1 were encouraged to pick up a book and read. They just couldn’t wait for their turn to speak, when they were asked to share their experience. The first graders really enjoyed their reading activity and showed off their colourful and vividly animated story books. Some even read out passages from them and took an effort to correctly pronounce the new words they had learnt.

TM

SEASONS

Do you want to build a snowman or a sand castle or maybe some paper boats? There is always something fun to do in every season. The students of Grade 1 were fashionably dressed in summer, winter and rain wear. They also aptly accessorized themselves with sun glasses, gloves, umbrellas and more. While some sipped on hot chocolate, others indulged in some cool drinks. They thoroughly enjoyed learning about the weather, seasons and varying temperatures of a place.

FLOWER POWER

Science is the study of facts. At the same time, science is also about discovering the world around us. For fostering scientific learning in early childhood, active, hands-on learning is very important. And this can best be achieved through science lab experiments. Discovering new ideas is an integral part of learning science. Grade 2 students got an opportunity to do an activity that saw a white flower change colour by using some food colouring. This experiment helped them to get a clear understanding about how stems carry water and nutrients to different parts of the plant.

PET CARE

Different animals eat different types of food. Their manner of eating is also different. Their mouth is also modified to suit their mode of eating. Some animals swallow their food, some will tear and chew their food, some animals suck the food etc. To learn more about the mode of eating in animals’, the students of Grade 3 were asked to feed their pets and observe its mode of eating. This activity allowed them to take on responsibility, follow through and connect on a deeper level with their pet.

FOOD CHAIN PROJECTScience projects are a great way to get students out of textbooks and into real life. They learn how the knowledge they’ve acquired can be applied to real-world problems. Also, it forces students to rely on skills they’ve learned in many areas. After learning about the food chain, the students of Grade 3 made a food chain- a chain which shows how energy is transferred from one organism to another. They extended their learning by making a model of the food chain using their imagination and creativity.

SPACE HERO

The students of Grade 1 paid tribute to America’s first astronaut of Indian origin to go to space -Kalpana Chawla on February 1 while learning more about spaceships. The little ones were fascinated to know about her as her love for space and mysterious planets was quite evident during her span of life. She is indeed a true inspiration for every single girl in India and across the world.

SAVE OUR FORESTS

An activity was conducted for the students of Grade 4 that involved poster making on the topic ‘Conservation of Forests’. Students created flamboyant posters to create awareness of the alarming rate at which our forests are being destroyed. They displayed great interest in portraying their concern over the ambiguous conditions of the environment around us.

EXPLORING AND EXPERIMENTING

Experiment plays many roles in science. One of its important roles is to test theories and to provide the basis for scientific knowledge. Experiments can be used to introduce new ideas or to clarify puzzling aspects of topics with which students typically struggle. The students of Grade 5 conducted multiple experiments as they learnt about Air and Water. In the first experiment they had a great time exploring the properties of air. With a glass of water and a piece of cardboard, they understood that air has weight and it exerts pressure as a result of its weight. In the second experiment they observed two simple and common procedures for removing insoluble impurities from water- sedimentation and decantation. These experiments helped them to think, observe, experiment, and validate their findings.

A SALUTE TO OUR BRAVE HEARTS

A PowerPoint presentations done by the students of Grade 8 acknowledged the valiant efforts of our armed forces in guarding our borders. The presentation covered the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and The Indian Coast Guard. The topics covered the history, mission, their uniforms, Param Vir Chakra recipients, personal accounts of their lives and pride in their jobs. This learning session left the students inspired and full of pride for the heroic services and selfless sacrifices rendered by our brave hearts.

SCIENCE HEROES

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on 11 February. Why do we need a special day for this, some may wonder. By highlighting the achievements of women in science, we are celebrating not only their contributions to research but also recognizing their struggles, navigating what was, for many of them, a non-traditional career. The girls of Grade 3 paid tribute to some women heroes of science like Madame Marie Curie, Kalpana Chawla, Cynthia Kenyon and Tessa Thomas. By providing examples of such scientists we reinforce the idea that a career in science is attainable to all backgrounds, regardless of race, sex, or religion. It is much easier to relate to someone with similar personal experiences, and seeing a reflection of oneself in a successful scientist can be a powerful image.

KAAGAZ KI NAIYYA

Paper boats- a favourite monsoon memory will always be etched in the minds of generations past and yet to come. While learning the chapter Kaagaz ki Naiyya, the students of Grade 6 created those memories for themselves by making their very own paper boats. While it took nothing more than a paper and a few folding tricks it allowed their mind to set sail on an adventurous journey.

FRUIT DELIGHT!

The students of Grade 2 talked about their favourite fruits during class. They used as many adjectives as they could to describe the fruit’s colour, shape, size, texture, and more. Some of the students dressed up as the fruit, some had a picture, while some even demonstrated how they like to eat it. What an expressive and delicious treat!

FUN IN THE SUN

Pandemic or not, it was time for a much needed break from our daily online class and what better way to unwind than go on a picnic. The students of Grade 3 were all geared up in their beach wear, sunglasses etc. as they headed down to their virtual beach. They went beach-hopping from Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro to Bondi Beach in Australia. They had fun playing games, dancing and indulged in some ice-creams, smoothies and juices. It was indeed a much needed break and the best virtual picnic ever.

SAVE MY FUTURE

Global warming is a gradual increase of the overall temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. This increase is largely due to our activities such as deforestation, burning fossil fuels, etc. This has led to drastic and extreme weather conditions such as rising temperatures, natural disasters, soil erosion, etc. The students of Grade 6 conscious of this silent threat designed posters emphasizing the dangers of global warming and its impact to their future and the generations to come.

PROJECT PRESENTATION-TESLA

Project Presentations are exciting ways for students to learn beyond the textbook and present their research to their favourite Uncle JT during his bi-weekly interaction with the children. This time the students of Grade 7 left Uncle JT completely impressed with their calibre and knowledge on the subject as they did comprehensive research on Tesla Inc. an American electric vehicle and clean energy company. For this presentation the students not only created an impressive PowerPoint presentation but understood in detail the functioning and mechanism behind the autonomous vehicles, that is revolutionising the ‘thinking’ algorithms with its cutting edge technology, artificial intelligence and environmental friendly features.

AYUBOVAN

‘Ayubowan’ which means “may you be blessed with a long life”, is a welcome greeting in Sinhalese. Such a beautiful greeting comes from an even more beautiful place; the pearl of the Indian Ocean, the gorgeous island nation of Sri Lanka. The students of Grade 5 took us on a tour of Sri Lanka during their project presentation with Uncle JT. They showcased Sri Lanka in the most picturesque way as they correlated it with our beautiful state of Kerala. They highlighted the similarities between the two places right from our common palettes, music, topography, spices, festivals, our love for Radio Ceylon and more. The presentation included making of a delicious snack called Lavariya by Alphonso, an elegant dance performance by Gadha and Devi and the most soulful singing by Emily and Shawn. This presentation left Uncle JT reminiscent of his times in Sri Lanka. Of all the places he has travelled across the world (more than half of the world) we were surprised to find out that Sri Lanka holds a special place and fond memories in his heart. The children were thrilled to hear about his experiences in Sri Lanka and also learn some really fun and interesting facts about Sri Lanka from him. He humoured them with all their questions and advised them it is only through KCH that they will be able to achieve greatness.

AHOY CAPTAIN!

“It is the set of the sails and not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”- Jim RohnCharting out her own course is our very own Rahel Sara Thomas, a talented and versatile student of Grade 8 at The Choice School, Thiruvalla. Rahel is a kayaking and sailing enthusiast and is fondly referred to as ‘The White Water Tiger’. She is a member of the Global Sailing Club in Kochi and recently participated in a paddling event called Muziris Paddle which was organised by Jellyfish Sports and sponsored by Kerala Tourism. The youngest in her group, Rahel kayaked 40 kms over two days from Periyar and followed the National Waterway 3 towards Kochi… no small feat for the petite 14 year old.Rahel has been kayaking and training for over 2 years, she is coached by a German couple Karl and Analise Damschen every Sunday. Apart from kayaking, she also enjoys sailing. Sailing and kayaking solo gives her a sense of personal accomplishment when she completes a journey independently. It also gives her an opportunity to stay focused and think on her feet.Thinking on her feet is not the only thing she excels at; she is also an accomplished contemporary dancer and is part of The Floor’s Dance A’Fair, an annual dance event held at JTPAC, Kochi. Rahel is very passionate and committed towards her talents and travels back and forth between Pathanamittiha and Ernakulam every weekend to be trained.She is also an avid reader who enjoys reading Fantasy and Science fiction. Her love for the use of her legs makes her a strong swimmer. She has been swimming for 5 years and has been a part of various school teams. Also, a trained tennis player, she is currently honing her badminton skills. She enjoys writing poetry and has inherited some serious baking skills from her maternal family. Her fudge brownies receive rave reviews from family and friends.Rahel is very grateful and thankful to both her parents and attributes her achievements and tenacity to her parents who constantly support and encourage her to explore the numerous options out there unexplored by young girls in our country.We wish Rahel fair winds and following seas. May your dreams set sail on a course of glory!