The school admissions in Ambernath are in process. A crucial phase in every child’s school life today is when he or she steps into the First Grade. This is typically the time when the child steps from the Pre- Primary to the Primary School. Many a times, this is accompanied with a change in school premises. Not to mention new teachers and a whole new set up which is more formal compared to the Pre- Primary schools.
The educators at Arya Gurukul have devised a special Program called ‘The Bridge Lessons’ for their students moving from Little Aryans to Arya Gurukul. The main goal of this program is to ease the transition from Pre Primary to Primary School. As the school admissions in Ambernath continue, a unique program like the ‘Bridge Lessons’ are carried out for the tiny tots before they enter the 1st Grade.
What are Bridge Lessons?
These are few days of activity-based learning experiences for the child. During these few days the child is familiarised with their new school, classroom and most importantly introduced to their teachers. All this is done is a fun, non- threatening and informal way to reduce anxiety.
How are Bridge Lessons carried out?
Much before the bridge lessons are carried out for the children, the teachers of Arya Gurukul, which is one of the top schools in Ambernath, undergo a period of training. While the school admissions in Ambernath continue, the educators draw out lesson plans and decide on a theme for the program. They finalise on the activities to be carried out surrounding that theme. The goal of each activity is charted out in order to determine how the activity will help the child, whether the activity will help in language development, motor development or cognitive development. These are all the ground work which are done prior to the Bridge lessons.
What are Some of the Best Practices from this year’s Bridge Lessons?
This year, Arya Gurkul, one of the top schools in Ambernath, conducted bridge lessons around the theme of the ‘One Seed Story’. The One Seed Story is a motivational story by Rosemary Philips. It speaks of how a tiny seed who determined, decided to grow into a plant and eventually into a forest. The story speaks of how a small seed can make a difference and thus, how every child can make a difference.
With the school admissions in Ambernath underway, the students participated in a 9 day ‘Bridge Lessons’ program. They engaged in activities such as Dissecting of Seeds and Germination of Seeds to increase their scientific enquiry. They engaged in Music and Movement activities on songs such as ‘This is my Garden’ and ‘One Seed’. They were introduced to new vocabulary related to seeds and plants and learnt to read the words. They unleashed their creativity through Play dough and prepared delicious Sprouts salad. The Program ended with a splendid dramatization of the One- Seed Story by the students themselves.
All through the program, books and play material related to the theme was available for the students to explore freely. The result was that the students learnt a great deal about plants and seeds and how they grow. They also got familiarised with their new teachers and infact have
developed a strong liking for them already. Finally, it is because of the ‘Bridge Lessons’ that the students are eager to join school in the new academic year.
