As concerns over the downsides of increasing screen time among children mount, the Kudumbashree at the behest of the Health department has launched 10-day summer camps in Pathanamthitta district to get children to switch off gadgets and engage in physical and creative activities.

The camps named ‘Delulu’ are under way for Kudumbashree’s Balasabha children in its 58 community development societies (CDSs) across Pathanamthitta in two phases – five days in April and five in May. The camps, inaugurated by Pathanamthitta Collector S. Prem Krishnan, will conclude by May 10.

Children till Class VII are taking part in the camps, a novel programme taken up by the Kudumbashree Pathanamthitta district mission in association with 10 departments.

The district mission has roped in Balasabha resource persons for organising the camp. Training has been given to the resource persons and their opinions taken for preparing the module.

The camps include a range of activities aimed at engaging students in physical and creative activities so that they are able to curtail the time spent on mobile phones and computers during the vacations and even during the academic year.

Ice-breaking sessions

The camps begin with ice-breaking sessions that include music play, folk songs and games that promote cooperation and self-confidence.

Next come farm activities. With the guidance of the agricultural officers, the children will visit a farm in the panchayat concerned and introduce them to plants and other vegetation. The children will learn how to prepare potting mixture, fill a couple of growbags with it, and sow seeds for readying a kitchen garden. Plant care, along with proper irrigation and harvesting, are other activities they will engage in. They will record the development of the plant during the course of their holidays.

The children use mango leaves and coconut fronds to make a host of products and even weave them. A farm visit to know more animal husbandry is also part of the camp.

Activities underlining the importance of healthy diet, exercise and yoga, personal hygiene, sanitation, waste management, and immunisation; interactions between children and parents for better communication and enabling parents to support their children and practise responsible parenting; anti-war activities (such as posters and rallies) against the backdrop of clouds of war gathering across the world; road safety awareness; activities to promote the reading habit through language games, library visits, prose and poetry writing and presentation will be organised. Life skills education is another significant component of the camp, says Pathanamthitta district mission coordinator Adhila S.