Montessori School students take part in a thematic collage competition on Thursday. Picture by Jai Prakash

Patna, April 21: Montessori School organised a thematic collage competition today for students of classes I to V as part of the school’s activity calendar.

“The school has planned an activity calendar for the new academic session,” said managing director of the school Zahra Ahmad in a news meet today.

On including new activities for students, Ahmad said: “We want to expose children to different facets of life and make learning fun. Though the concept is often heard, it mostly remains confined to limited schools and high-class society. We want to introduce the concept in middle-class schools like us, too.”

“Snatching away their innocence by putting books instead of toys in children’s hands create distorted personalities and leads to tragedies and trauma. Our focus is to guide them so their minds are stretched and they learn to perform to the best of their abilities, thereby helping them gain confidence. Moreover, education should be enjoyed by both parties — the giver and taker. We strive to provide an environment where they are relaxed,” said school secretary Suraj Sinha.

Ahmad added: “We worry about what a child will become in the future and forget his/her present. Laying the foundation of a bright future is possible only by taking care of the present. Taking this into consideration, several programmes under the activity calendar have been designed by the management committee for the new session.”

The activities include thematic collage, English calligraphy, Bal Sansad, plant-a-seed, magic show, grandparents’ meet, rangoli competition, kite-making and others. Save Earth was the theme of the collage competition. The students made placards and drew pictures urging protection for Mother Earth.

Students of play, kindergarten and nursery will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 6, where the children will celebrate with their mothers.

“Let the tiny tots realise the importance of the mother who gave birth to them,” said Ahmad, adding that Indian traditions need to be inculcated from a young age.

Elaborating on the activity calendar, Ahmad said: “In June, students of upper kindergarten (UKG) will take part in a plant-a-seed programme. Under this activity, the students would plant seeds of groundnut, garlic, coriander and other plants. It would be one-of-a-kind experience to see the children nurture a plant from its infancy.”

Ahmad added on May 1 — Labour Day — the school has planned an appreciation day where students of UKG will make cards for labourers, who work around us, to express their gratitude.

Another fun activity for students of lower kindergarten and UKG will be Origami that will sharpen their creativity.

While “Look, listen, note”, designed for students of Class II, will improve their concentration, observation powers and vocabulary, “Do and discover” will have students of classes IV and V discovering new things to develop a scientific bent of mind.