Childrens’ market turns into hands-on learning hub for creativity, life skills

Mangaluru: A children's market organised as part of an NSS camp at Vittal First Grade College offered hands-on lessons in entrepreneurship, creativity and the value of local resources.Aravind Kudla, a teacher at Dakshina Kannada ZP Higher Primary School, Moodambailu, Vittal, said this year's children's market was "truly special". The main objective of the market was to help children apply mathematics in daily life and develop practical skills.When organisers first asked children what they planned to sell, many named items such as keychains, stickers, pens and hair clips sourced from online platforms. This raised concerns, as the aim was to help children recognise the value of locally available resources and think creatively about marketing them. So, the organisers set a condition that only homemade, naturally available and eco-friendly products could be sold.The market was held on the final day of the NSS camp on the school premises to encourage interaction beyond familiar circles. Organised in the evening, it drew parents, villagers, camp students, teachers, a cluster resource person and visitors from nearby areas.Children sold a wide range of products. These included vegetables and produce from their backyards — brinjal, beans, spinach, cucumber, okra, mangoes, pomelo, Mangaluru jasmine, jackfruit seeds, tender mango pickles, cowpeas and bananas. Others sold watermelon and cucumber with spicy seasoning, raw and ripe mangoes, tamarind, jamun, tender coconut, banana stem and cooking leaves.Homemade snacks and drinks such as sweet potato papad, kosambari, tender coconut juice, tamarind juice, muskmelon juice, lemon juice, banana dessert and flavoured soda were also on sale. Two households made and sold U pins from bicycle spokes. Banana fibre ropes for tying jasmine flowers sold well, and one child made a good profit selling bananas.Creative products, such as handcrafted wooden keychains with English letters, sold out quickly. Other items included brooms, buttermilk bottles, coconuts, handmade mats, toys made from coconut shells and cloth bags, Aravind said.Children also observed business lessons. One child earned higher profits by selling processed banana snacks instead of raw bananas, while two children made about Rs 1,000 in profit by selling seasonal forest fruit. Profits and losses were discussed the next day.