Boredom busters are here

ALAS! THE summer vacation is here again. And it is time for children to burst into ebullience, oblivious of that agonising eight-to-eight grind of education that unmistakably plunges them into an unremitting mood of melancholy. For the parents on the contrary, it is a nerve-racking experience to plan the holiday of their restless wards. The perfect choice is to pack them off to any of the numerous summer camps that mushroom in the metrapolis during this time of the year.

The usually fortnight-long or month-long summer camps take the children into the realm of creative play and offer a refreshing break from the over-emphasis on academics in school. An astounding number of choices are offered, ranging from simple paper crafts for the nimble-fingered to thrilling adventure sport for the boisterous. A look at some of the camps lined up for this vacation.

For Nature buffs

Want to break free in the wilderness? Aavishkar India, has come up with its "Wild Indian Tours" for children. Wildlife and nature camps will be organised to Kudremukh Wild Life Sanctuary, Karnataka, Araku Valley, near Vizag, Venkateshwara National Park on Seven Hills and Karadimalai in Tamil Nadu. These camps range from two to four days.

An exciting "Ooru" camp will take children to the beautiful rustic village of Hanumanthai, on East Coast Road. Children can spend two full days here, experiencing rural Indian life. This will be followed by a trip to the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry to see various Indian cottage industries at work - hand-made paper production, textile weaving, pottery, etc.

Last but not the least, "A day on the high seas" awaits them. Aavishkar, at No. 151, TTK Road, offers a detailed brochure of its tours, which commence from the last week of April. For details contact 4983915. The fee ranges from Rs. 425 to Rs. 2,100.

Where learning is fun

The Sharanalaya Montessori School, No. 11, 7th Cross Street, Lake Area, Nungambakkam, is conducting a "math, cultural and exercises of practical life camp" for children aged between four and ten. The three-week camp which will commence on April 16 (10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.) will introduce children to the joy of learning at an early age and provide a framework in which the individual and social discipline go hand in hand. With a range of specially designed tools, Sharanalaya hopes to enhance logical and analytical thinking and spatial skills, besides inculcating environmental awareness. The cosy school with a variety of education toys is sure to interest the little one. Call 8241455 or 8236601 (between 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. for details).

Excitement all the way

In an attempt to tap the creative potential of the young, Akara, No. 14, 4th street, Dr. Thirumurthy Nagar, Nungambakkam, phone 8275498, will organise indoor and outdoor camps from two venues -Crescent Matriculation School, Pycrofts Garden Road, Nungambakkam and Agarwal Vidyalaya, E.V.K.Sampath Road, Vepery. The activities have been classified under three categories - Sports camp (chess, roller skating, gymnastics, yoga and archery), talent camp (theatre, dance, painting, singing, story- telling, reading skills, origami, clay modelling etc) and skill camp (photography, public speaking, creative writing, fabric painting and instrumental music). The outdoor camp at the foot hills of Nilgiris incorporates activities such as trekking, basic rock climbing, river crossing, stream scrambling, orienteering and survival exercises. The camps are scheduled to commence on April 14. And now, isn't it time to turn your back on boredom?

Horse power

The Chennai Equestrian Academy, Sholinganallur, is conducting a summer camp from April 7. Each batch of students will have to attend 12 classes of intensive coaching in horse riding and the fee per head is Rs.3,000. For more details contact 4401070 or 98410 34554.

Creative break

For those of you interested in taking a creative break, a Kids Summer Crafts Camp will be organised at A-1 Triveni Apartments, 62, Alwarpet Street, phone 4350674. Fabric painting, stain glass painting, reverse glass painting, ceramic work, rug making, pot decoration, embroidery... there is a wide range of arts and crafts activities to express yourself creatively. Contact Sindhu Suresh for more details.

Ceaselessly innovative?

Your wards have a long holiday ahead. And you don't know how to engage those restless little ones? Drop in at Play-Coop, a play school which has come up with interesting options to keep the young and ceaselessly innovative ones engaged this vacation. Pottery, puppetry, drawing, painting, straw doll making, knitting, story-telling and field trips for bird watching... these are not all.

There are more programmes to kindle creativity and enthuse the children during the vacation. The timings are from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. An international theme lunch will be provided at the camp, which is open to children in the age group of five to 14. The camp is scheduled for April 16 to 28. Contact 4418448 or 4453830 for details.

Tryst with arts

A Kalamkari workshop will be conducted by Chellam Gopalakrishnan and her team of experts at No 82, New Avadi Road, Kilpauk. Chellam, who has been fostering the art for decades will also teach Ikebana, fresh-flower arrangement, cookery, pudding and dessert-making. That's not all, she also conducts classes on various arts and crafts. Call 6448333 between 3.00 p.m to 6.00 p.m.

Interested in Yoga?

A summer camp on Yoga is being held at Kids Nest Kindergarten School, 35, 36/1 Second Street, Anjugam Nagar, Ashok Nagar, opposite Kasi Theatre.

The courses conducted by Uma Mani helps one lose weight, improve concentration, control diabetes, bust stress and improve general health through yoga. Want to try? Contact 4852409 for details.

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