Angling workshop 
Where: Water bodies at Nalban, Bidhan Sishu Udyan (Ultadanga) and Budge Budge. One at Eco Park may start soon too. 
When: Workshops will be conducted as per demand 
Eligibility: 6-14 years 
What to expect: The workshops introduce kids to the different types of water bodies and teach them about the organisms that thrive there. They are taught the anatomy of fish, angling equipment, techniques, catch-and-release, fish photography etc. 

“For instance, whenever a fish is caught everyone comes to click pictures with it. Moreover fish are slippery and may jump out of one’s hands, hurting themselves on the fall. We teach children to kneel and hold the fish above the water when posing for snaps. That way even if the fish slips out, it will land safely in the water,” says Chandan Gupta, who runs a private catch-and-release facility called Rogue Anglers Company. 

Angling, he says, increases children’s patience and concentration, and proper guidance would make them conserve the fish and the water. They also have sessions for adults.

Dance workshop 
Where: Golden Tulip hotel, near City Centre 
When: May 13-14 
Eligibility: Open to all 
What to expect: Youtube star Melvin Louis will be teaching his brand of Bollywood-meets hip hop moves to a batch of around 200. “Melvin’s style is unique and such is his craze that we’re getting registrations from even places like Sodepur and Ranaghat,” says Nikita Sangai, creative director of dance institute Twist N Turns, that has a branch in BF Block. Twist N Turns and event management group Map 5 are organising the show. Melvin will choreograph two Bollywood numbers for students.

Hobby camp at Eco Park 
Where: Tea Lounge, Eco Park 
When: Workshops will be conducted as per demand
Eligibility: 10-14 year olds 
What to expect: Hobby camps to familiarise kids about a variety of activities that they can pursue thereafter. There would be days dedicated to creativity with Lego and Mechano sets, archery, shooting, speed skating, skate boarding and stunt biking. The camps would be organised by Himalayan Footprints, that provides the adventure zone activities at Eco Park.

“There would be kayaking where students would start with basic two-seater kayaks, graduate to single seaters, sea kayaks and finally sports kayaks,” says Neil Law, CEO of Himalayan Footprints. 

There would also aero-modelling, where kids would build planes from scratch and learn about aero sports such as para sailing, para gliding, sky diving and hot air balloon. Law is helping build the 550 yard-nine-hole chip putt golf course in Eco Park and if it is ready in time, he is keen to include golfing in the camps. “There could also be nature sessions at the butterfly park, fruit and herbal gardens and bird watching zones of Eco Park,” he says.

The camps would be seven to 15 days long where kids would troop in at around 6am and stay till 5pm. 

Advanced speed skating 
Where: Behind City Centre 
When: May 15-June 15 
Eligibility: Eight years and above. Must know basic skating, braking and cross steps (turning) 
What to expect: A brief beginners’ course will take place in Bhowanipore but Salt Lake gets the big one. 

“The intensive course behind City Centre is aimed at developing students’ strength, speed and stamina. We shall also teach them the double push technique,” says Shubhro Ganguly, senior national level skater and director of Teevr Skating Academy who would be coaching the students.

Football tournament
Where: AK Park 
When: May 20, 21 
Eligibility: Open to all amateur football teams 
What to expect: A football tournament organised by seven youths — five of them fresh school pass-outs and two who are now in Class XII. The group itself has a team called Adreno Football Club and is organising this tournament as they have some free time post-exams. “We also want to build hype for the under-17 FIFA World Cup that will take place in India later this year,” says Anutosh Goswami, one of the organisers. Anutosh himself has passed out of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Education this year and wants to pursue higher studies in physical education. 

The organisers are expecting 24 six-a-side teams to enrol and the format will be knockout. Some block teams like BB-BC and Karunamoyee have registered, as have a few school teams and amateur teams like Football Is In Our Blood, United Kolkata FC and Kolkata FC. “We chose AK Park as the venue as some of us live here. The block association has allowed us the field free of charge,” says Anutosh. 

Segway tour 
Where: Eco Park Gate number 1 
When: Maiden tour today at 3.30pm, as part of World Parks Week. Thereafter from Tuesday onwards 
Eligibility: Open to all weighing up to 100kg 
What to expect: If you’ve never managed to walk the length of Eco Park before, now’s the chance. Hop on to a Segway PT (a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered vehicle) and let it take you on a half-hour tour of the park. The Segway has been available for rides at the park for two years now and is a hit with kids. 

“It’s easy to find balance and extremely rare for anyone to fall off these. The top speed is 15kmph and we provide helmets,” says Sudhakar Gupta of Adimpact, that provides Segways, cycles, bumpy boats etc at the park and is in charge of the Segway tour. “We have three types of Segways that can accommodate kids as well as adults up to 100kg.” A guide would lead groups of four riders and explain to them different aspects of the park. Bookings need to be made on the Hidco website but spot registration would be considered. 

On Saturday, there would be a speed skating race at Eco Park as part of World Parks Week and on Sunday morning a run around the park and a cycling race from Milan Mela, near Science City, to the park. All registrations are to be done online. 

Music summer school 
Where: Roland Music School at Happy Hours studio, AMP Vaisaakkhi mall, Baisakhi, Salt Lake
When: May 12 to June 12. Exceptions can be made.  
Eligibility: Open to all 
What to expect: Beginners’, intermediate and advanced course in vocal or instrumental music. “Beginners will be allowed to dabble in all our instruments — guitar, drums, piano, keyboards and violin — for the first two classes so we can assess their aptitude and help them pursue the instrument they have a knack for,” says director of Roland Music School, Jyoti Bansal. 

Advanced level students will learn composing and arranging music while vocal classes would teach western and Indian music. The students need not have the instruments at home. Instead they can come over for free practice sessions round the clock. 

Bansal admits it is difficult to teach an instrument in a month but adds that at summer camps kids are more interested in having fun. “For a short term course like this, maybe we won’t teach staff notations but we’ll ensure that next time the child sees a drum he can pick up the sticks and play something rhythmic,” she says.

What are your plans for the summer holidays? 
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