It is important to have a roadmap before we start any journey. So, let’s begin our journey by understanding some basics - What is Prayogshala? Why are we here? What are the norms to be followed?
Time Taken
75 Mins
Resources needed per student
Cardboard
Pencil/Pen
Colour Pencils/Sketch Pens/Paint
Scissors
Objectives:
The objectives of the session are as follows:
Building Excitement: Getting the children excited for the Prayogshala journey
Make Anything With Cardboard: Completing the first making activity
Setting the Norms: Establishing the basic norms for the proper functioning of the Prayogshala.
Skill(s) Focussed
Creativity | Frugal innovation
Task 1 - Building Excitement (10 minutes)
You can start by explaining what Prayogshala is and how they can explore their favourite topics/ideas, make and learn effortlessly through online activities. Students will be guided by the facilitators and instructions will be provided for all the making activities. The resources required for these activities will be such that they are easily accessible to them (mostly already available at their homes). Wouldn’t it be exciting to learn the essential concepts and skills all by themselves in a fun way along with their mates, even in an online class!
It is also important to convey to the students that this hands-on learning will lead the students to succeed in many different ways. Prayogshala helps students enhance their creative mindset and to extend the 21st-century skills learned here to the real world.
Task 2 - Make anything with cardboard (40 mins)
Once the children understand the why and what of Prayogshala, we can get right into a fun ‘Making’ activity to give them a sense of what they can expect in the future sessions. This simple activity allows them to make anything they want with just a piece of cardboard and a head full of imagination.
Instructions to be given to students
Step 0:
Tell each student that they can take a piece of cardboard (from shoebox/delivery package/carton boxes) and they can make anything they want. This can be an object they like, their favourite animal, a plant, a robot, just about anything they can imagine. They should also consider their time(20 mins) while deciding the object they want to make.
Step 1:
Students can draw an outline of whatever they want to make and use color pencils/sketch pens/paint to add details.
Step 2:
Cut along the outline using a pair of scissors carefully. And the object is ready!
Step 3:
Encourage each student to come to the front of the class and share why she/he chose to make the specific item and what they like about it.
Task 3 - Setting the norms (25 mins)
With the successful completion of the first activity, the children would have a better understanding of how much fun their future sessions at Prayogshala are going to be. This leads us to the next and important step of setting and explaining the norms to be followed by the students for the smooth functioning of Prayogshala.
This can be done by working with the students democratically to decide on the norms for your space and develop a charter accordingly. An extensive list of sample norms is present in the PrayogBook.
Please refer to the norms below to get an idea of some sample norms that can be implemented:
Work only with the resources absolutely required for the activity. Do not waste any resources.
For online sessions, if the resources mentioned in the activity guide are not available at home, discuss with your instructor about substitutes before that activity session.
All children must let all team members express their views and respect different opinions.
Everyone should join the online sessions on time and maintain discipline throughout the session.
Decide the materials required for your activity, before you start the making process, in case the object you're making is to be designed by yourself (in the case of activities such as Rube Goldberg Machine, Redesign a dustbin, etc.)
You can also add more norms as per the dynamic of your online class. Once the norms and expectations are decided and noted, they need to be revisited periodically and updated based on the requirements of your Prayogshala.
Wrapping up the session:
Now that you’ve completed the first Prayogshala session, it is time to recap every task that was performed through the session with the students. Recall the principles based on which future Prayogshala sessions would progress, and bring attention to the norms to be followed. Finally, end the session on a joyful note saying you look forward to all the amazing things children are going to create in this space!
Going forward, inform the students beforehand regarding the resources they need to have ready for the next session to ensure they have enough time to organize it.
Have fun making and share the works of your students with the hashtag#projectprayogshala to get featured.