Colorss Runs a Brain Gym

WHAT WE ARE UP TO : Colorss Runs a Brain Gym

The Colorss’ team at the government school in Rajupura, Baroda, has recently ran a Brain Gym for students in Grades 1 to 4, to help them learn the numbers from 1 to 100. The children responded positively to the activity, and were able to learn the sequence of numbers through the creative brain game. 

 Students prepare for the Brain Gym

The Brain Gym conducted a housing activity, where students were given cards, which mentioned numbers 1 to 100. The volunteers would throw a set of dice and indicate the number on the dices on their own sheet. This would be related to a specific material within a house on the volunteer’s sheet, with a number on it. This number is then flashed to the students. Excitedly, the students would identify the corresponding number on their flashcards, mark the number and spell it out to the rest of the class.

Within 90 minutes, the students finished playing the game and were asked for feedback. Soon enough, we learned that after the activity, most of the students were able to learn all the numbers from 1 to 100. This is a huge accomplishment as a large number of students across four grades were able to recall a wide range of numbers as a result of the Brain Gym.

Students enthusiastically participate in the Brain Gym

This Brain Gym activity not only improved the students’ ability to memorise numbers from 1 to 100, but also greatly contributed to their personal development. The activity boosted their concentration levels and self-confidence in their own cognitive skills.

 Students pose during the Brain Gym Activity

The positive outcome of the Housing Activity within the Brain Gym led the Principal Mr. Kanti Bhai to express his interest in the activity. He appreciated the effort put into running the Brain Gym and encouraged the school to continue holding similar activities in the future. 

By Asyura Salleh

'Children learn quicker through play' | Colorss Foundation

“Play is the highest form of Research” –Albert Einstein.

A study at the University of Iowa has shown that kids that play with their meals (smash, throw, poke food) learn better and quicker than kids that don’t¹. These messy eaters could more correctly name foods and identify their texture than less messy eaters.

Why is it that we consider “play” to be a “break” from work, when it is through “play” that humans have acquired language, culture and technology? Have you ever wondered why it is so easy for children to pick up a few languages or play an instrument, whereas we as adults, struggle to do so? This is because learning is a natural process, and children are more likely to learn through play. Interacting with the environment helps a child develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, language, literacy, numeracy and imagination. Unlike flashcards or academic drills, playing develops social, physical and emotional skills like empathy and co-operation that are vital for growth and development.

So what exactly does play mean? According to the book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, “play” is described as something enjoyable, spontaneous, voluntary, engaging, having no extrinsic goals and involving make-belief². What makes playing so different is that a child is not just passively receiving knowledge, but also actively engaged in its meaning. According to research there are five main types of play³:

·         Physical play includes skipping, colouring or “rough & tumble play”. This is necessary for physical strength, hand-eye coordination and endurance. In particular, tough & tumble play, which includes chasing, kicking and rolling on the ground has known to control aggression, improve understanding of emotional expressions and develop strong emotional bonds with parents.

·         The use of objects like building, use of kitchen utensils and construction, develops reasoning and problem solving skills. For instance the classic use of LEGO assists children in setting goals, develop “private speech”, maintain attention, monitor progress and make strategic choices to proceed.

·         Symbolic Play includes drawing, singing and making rhymes. This is known to enhance language, numeracy, visual and communication skills. For instance, drawing improves children’s ability to understand pictures, maps and plans.

·         Pretence or Socio-dramatic play is a type of play that develops cognitive, social & academic abilities. Role-play for instance, like pretending to be firefighters, can enhance narration, deductive reasoning, social competence and self-regulation, especially with children who are highly compulsive.

·         Games with rules like hide & seek, throwing & catching, board games and sports are also vital. They help children make sense of the world and develop social skills like sharing, taking turns and understanding others’ perspectives. Contrary to popular belief, research indicates a positive relationship between time spent on video games and a child’s intelligence.

Neha and Smriti teaching Sudoku at Project Enhance, Pune

In sum, a good balance of play is necessary for children to be healthy. However the opportunities and benefits of quality play for children are increasingly under threat. Children living in poverty often lack access to natural & outdoor environments necessary for play and at the same time those from affluent households are often over-scheduled or over-supervised, limiting children’s creativity and freedom to explore. With growing urbanization and institutionalized educational systems, children are less likely to ask, “Why is the sky blue?” and more likely to ask, “Will this be in the exam?”. In order for healthy intellectual, emotional and social development, it is essential that we provide the opportunity and support for children to play and explore their imagination and creativity. This is why the Colorss foundation has implemented a good balance of play in day-to-day lives of children. From playing Sudoku to karate, Colorss has made a massive impact on the cognitive and emotional wellbeing of youth today. The use of interaction and creativity, it believes is key to preventing school dropouts, gain interpersonal skills and drive these children to achieving their dreams.

Ishita teaching Music at Project Enhance, Pune

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity”-Kay Redfield Jamison. 

For Love, 

Shama K 

References:

1.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/messy-kids-learning-study_n_4373548.html
2. Hirst-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2003). Einstein never used flash cards.
3. http://www.importanceofplay.eu/IMG/pdf/dr_david_whitebread_-_the_importance_of_play.pdf

Colorss in partnership with Nielsen, Baroda | Colorss Foundation

Colorss has always been focused and has constantly been utilizing the opportunities that have come its way, to stand by its vision of empowering and developing the under-privileged children of the society. This time it was collaboration with Nielsen, the global leader in measurement and information that took the attempts of turning its vision to reality, to the next level altogether. In what was termed as a mega event by its founder, the partnership with Nielsen Office at Baroda helped Colorss truly realize key objectives of its project – Colors of Life.

          The association with Nielsen, Vadodara happened when Colorss proposed and organized a Self-Defense workshop for the former’s female employees on the 26^th of April 2013. Anand, the founding director of Colorss, took keen interest in putting across several powerful and useful techniques of self-defense to the women employees. Some pictures from the events can be seen here. The employees were more than excited and appreciative of the session. They also went on to quote this experience as being wonderful and helpful in making them more confident at times of need. See what Jimsy Kuriakose from Nielsen had to say about the workshop.

Founder Chairman Mr. Koti teaching self-defense technique at Nielsen Baroda

           In the second half of the day, the Nielsen’s turned hosts to little guests from slums in Sanjay Nagar, Vadodara. These 30-35 children aged between 5 and 15 years are part of the educational program of Colorss. Thanks to the Nielsen employees who took great interest in giving a unique and memorable experience to the kids. From giving them a guest pass, walking them through the security and the buildings to making them feel at home and building rapport with the children, the enthusiasm and concern shown by the employees were definite indicators of how socially responsible corporates are. This first of its kind interaction created a sort of vision; an illustration of a big picture, in the kids, something they will always remember.

          As an extension to the event conducted on the 26^th April, the 10^th of May yet again turned out to be a great opportunity for these kids to showcase their talent and skills. The employees of Nielsen once again invited the kids to their premises and this time to add to the excitement the parents had to accompany their children. While the hosts left no stone unturned to keep the spirits high and boost the momentum, the kids too didn’t miss the chance to come up with dance performances, mime shows and small acts that showed their sheer ability and interest to learn new things and develop themselves on par with anyone else. This fun filled event was definitely a mega-event in all aspects and did everything to prop-up the benefits stated by the educational program in its true sense.

Children performing Mime act at Nielsen Baroda

          Colorss whole heartedly thanks Nielsen, Vadodara and its employees for lending great support and for contributing towards its mission. Colorss appeals to all other corporates and private bodies to join hands with it to work towards the betterment and upliftment of the society.

If you would like to benefit from our Self-Defense Workshop, please send an email to contact@colorss.org

If you would like to support Colorss in some manner, then please do register as a volunteer with us. You can also contribute to Colorss by making a donation here.

For Love,

Anand

[Thanks Raghu for the write-up]

Speed Maths using Flash Cards | Baroda

The original plan for the class on 21st July 2012 in Navprerna was to show the children the e-magazine on the internet but due to some technical error we were unable to do so.

We then decided to do some simple speed math using flashcards.We divided the class of 18 (11 boys and 7 girls) into two equal groups. Each of us separately conducted the activity with one group. We started by explaining the rules of the game - each card will not be shown for more than 2 seconds and the students had to write only the answers in their books. For the first round, we decided to keep it simple, thus we started with just 10 questions/cards. We used cards for addition and subtraction only. Then we conducted two more rounds of 10 questions each.We noticed that the performance on the whole was not bad.

Some students did very well, like Kajal Chauhan and Rita Katara who scored 30/30.

Others made mistakes in reading the signs (whether it was + or-) or they would not notice where the blank was, whether it was in the question or answer. For example in the question 9+_ =15, they would write 24 as the answer rather than 6, i.e. they would simply add up all the numbers they could see on the card. A few of them often did not look at the card and missed the question. Their concepts of addition and subtraction are quite clear, but they either lack confidence or do not pay enough attention to the question.We will probably conduct a similar exercise again also including questions on multiplication and division.

Conducted by Ankita Bhagwat and Shreya Hiryur [Baroda Team]