Kids come out, have fun at summer camps

Mangaluru: After two years of Covid-19 confinement, children are having fun thanks to summer camps conducted across the region. Students say it has helped them relax and learn a few new things. Adrien D’Souza, a high school student at a private school in the city had attended an adventure camp in Mysuru, along with 38 others. He said it has given him a much needed break after two years being within the four walls of home. The camp was organised by a city-based organisation. “Summer camps are that time of the year where memories are made,” said another student.

Chandrika Sandi

, who organised a three-weeks Kanfun-2k22 at Kanachur Public School said children wanted to camp to continue for a few more days as they had been out of their home environment after two years. “The participants, most from kindergarten to primary school, participated in craft, cooking and visiting farms as part of the camp which had several other activities. One thing is that children who missed meeting new people had made a lot of friends during the camp, which had about 50 participants,” she said. “It was altogether a different environment to children, who learnt extra-curricular lessons and made memories out of the classroom environment,”added Chandrika.

Srinivasan Nandagopal

of Centre for Integrated Learning, who has been conducting adventure, jungle and leadership camps for the past 13 years, said there is an upbeat mood among parents and children to send them to camps. “The participants who are primary school to first PU students have thoroughly enjoyed the recently held camps. They expressed that it was very much needed to them as they have been inside their homes with their gadgets,” said Nandagopal, who has planned another camp at the end of the month. Another group of children who are hit by the pandemic are children with special needs. They too are having summer camp fun this year.

Fr Vinod

Mascarenhas of Daya Special School in Laila, Belthangady said they have organised ‘Visesha

Makkala Kalarava

’ summer camp from Wednesday and more than 80 children are participating. “It is the need of the hour for them (special children) to have such camps. The pandemic has forced them to not have regular health care and other fun activities that one child should receive,” said Fr Vinod.