On being introduced to a revised version of Hide and seek, which involved greater interaction among the play-mates, one of the Intern responded saying, “Hide and seek was a brilliant idea and I saw that many volunteers got a chance to get closer to the kids. I would really like to have more such games. It made me understand the kids better and they were enthusiast about the idea too.” -Spruha Reddy
Tackle Caravan is a place where the children are allowed to express themselves in the context of unconditional acceptance and support, which in turn brings out the best in them. As one of our Interns said, “A small compliment and little encouragement can bring out the best in a kid. He just needs a little bit attention and acceptance.” – Madhukrishna Bhuyan
Expressing her understanding of Free play, one of the Interns said, “Each child has different needs and interests. We should be able to identify it and encourage them. Free play helps us learn more from the children and about the children. By these free play sessions, I think we can develop the hidden talents or interests in the children.”
Talking about how the children are amazing teachers, one of the Interns said, “More than what the kids get to learn from us….it’s the other way round. We get to learn so much from them. Today was helping few kids at the arts and craft stall…they were so involved and interested in teaching the others the skills they possessed! Teaching it with so much care and encouragement was such a beautiful thing to do and see. Learnt a lot of amazing crafties. It was a good day.” -Rithika A
Expressing her joy of dancing for the first time, one of the Interns said, “To a person who has always shied away from activities like dancing or any sort of things which need you to express yourself a lot. I have always been just an audience! But today I danced. Forgot about everything and gave it a try. This was because of a kid there who really insisted on me shaking a leg with him. I couldn’t even think of saying a ‘No’ to him. He made me do something I never thought I’ll do in this lifetime. I owe a lot to this kid for making me do something I never I have never done.. For people reading it, this might look like Ohh! What’s the big thing in dancing….only I know how much that means. Going to spend some quality time in the dance stall from now on during the Caravan.” – Rithika. A
One of the volunteers became nostalgic while expressing her thoughts, she said, “I learnt to be a child again. I learnt that you should do what you like with hesitation or be conscious of what other’s might think of you.” -Priyadarshini T
When one of the volunteers felt dizzy, the children took great care of her. She says, “I realized that the kids really care about us. When I felt dizzy after playing a game, they asked me whether I was okay or not. They seemed concerned.” -Medha Dey
Sharing her experience about how her first experiences, one of the Intern said, “This Saturday I just did everything that I never did in my life at all. I played football, I told stories, I also danced even though I didn’t know how to dance as I have never danced before. It was awesome.” – Pavithra.S
Expressing her joy about the Caravan, one of the interns said, “I realized that the children really love us and wait for us to come every Saturday. They really care about us and make sure that even we are happy. It really touched me when the kids showed so much concern over my hurt hand.” – Medha Dey
Reflecting on the Caravan, one of the Interns said, “I learnt that children pay attention to each and everything we do. The way we react and respond to them matters a lot. They learn from us. So we must make sure that we not only tell them what to do and what is right but also set an example.” – Mary Jennifer V.M.
