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Every year, HBCSE celebrates National Science Day (NSD) as an open-house event, attracting over 3,000 participants. The event showcases engaging and interactive demonstrations in physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, and design. It aims to nurture children's curiosity and introduce them to various aspects of the scientific world. NSD is held annually on the last day of February.
Trace The Waste: An Educational Board Game
Our Design & Technology department engages in educational initiatives such as board games and interactive STEM activities. One of our activities, Trace the Waste, is a board game designed to raise awareness about waste management. Another, Jungle Safari, is a STEM activity in the form of a worksheet that explores the role of mathematics in wildlife studies. This approach mirrors the work of scientists, researchers, and forest officers who study and understand wildlife in the field. Students find these activities engaging and enjoyable.
Jungle Safari: An Interactive STEM activity
Teacher's Workshop on "Playful Pedagogy: Exploring Educational Games"
Teacher's Workshop on "Playful Pedagogy: Exploring Educational Games"
EXPISCOR Teacher Workshop is a one-day teacher training program organized by Vissanji Academy School, where educators from various schools come together to enhance their classroom skills. This year, we collaborated with them, taking on the responsibility of designing effective and relevant resources to train teachers—resources they can later implement in their classrooms. As part of the training, an inter-school competition is also organized.
This year, our session focused on Educational Board Games: A Game-Based Learning Approach. The workshop was divided into two segments:
Session 1: Exploring Existing Educational Board Games
In the first half, teachers from different subject backgrounds played various board games, all of which are commercially available. We carefully selected games that align with subjects like Science, Mathematics, History, and English while also fostering essential skills such as problem-solving, strategic thinking, critical reasoning, abstraction, and visualization.
Following the gameplay, we conducted a reflection session where teachers shared their insights. They observed that while playing, they had to think logically, make rational decisions, continuously apply mathematical calculations (e.g., for scoring points), and visualize different scenarios—demonstrating the cognitive engagement these games encourage.
Session 2: Introducing Trace the Waste
In the second half of the session, we introduced Trace the Waste—a board game developed by us. We walked the teachers through the entire development process, covering aspects like conceptualization, design stages, prototyping, and testing.
EXPISCOR Interschool Competition: Designing Educational Games
As a follow-up to the workshop, the EXPISCOR inter-school competition challenged teachers to design their own educational board games for classroom use. They were given three months to develop their game ideas.
The teachers actively participated, played enthusiastically, and expressed great interest in the experience. Their excitement and engagement reflected the potential of game-based learning in transforming classroom education.
Bunting Designing Session with 50 Pre-Service teachers
In this session, 50 pre-service teachers designed a five-faced bunting that represented their personality. However, this wasn’t just an art & craft activity focused on aesthetics—they had to work within specific constraints and given prompts.
The challenge required them to think beyond decoration and engage in problem-solving and creativity under restrictions. The time limit added an extra layer, pushing them to make quick yet thoughtful decisions. This experience highlighted how constraints can enhance creativity and critical thinking, a realization teachers embraced through hands-on engagement in the activity.
Educational Board Games Developed by School Teachers & Students
Educational Board Games Developed by School Teachers & Students
Judging the EXPISCOR Interschool Competition
Judging the EXPISCOR Interschool Competition
As part of the EXPISCOR Teacher Workshop, I had the opportunity to serve as a judge for the inter-school competition, where teachers from various schools showcased their educational board games. Evaluating these games was a fascinating experience as I got to observe, play, and assess each creation based on multiple parameters.
The evaluation criteria included design aspects, aesthetics, repeatability, gestures, and content relevance. It was insightful to see how educators integrated game mechanics with learning objectives, making the games both engaging and educational. This experience reinforced the power of game-based learning in transforming classroom teaching.
21st Century Skills-based Summer Camp for Kids:
The 21st Century Skills Summer Camp was a fun and engaging experience designed to help middle school students develop important life skills. From teamwork and empathy to critical thinking, the camp encouraged students to explore new ways of learning.
On the first day, students learned about media literacy—how to tell the difference between real and fake news, find trustworthy sources, and think critically about the information they see online. This helped them understand how to navigate today’s digital world safely and responsibly.
As the camp continued, creativity became the focus. Students took part in activities where they created stories and redesigned artifacts, learning how imagination can be a powerful tool for problem-solving and innovation.
On the final day, students explored zine-making, a fun and creative way to share ideas through pictures and words. They learned how to express their thoughts visually, making their own mini-magazines.
The camp ended on a high note, with students feeling more confident, creative, and ready to apply these skills in their daily lives. This camp was not just about learning—it was about thinking, creating, and growing in a fun and supportive environment!
Creative thinking activities for children, Special Camp at HBCSE’s Gulmohar Childcare Centre
A special camp was organized for primary school children, where they learned origami along with various imagination and visualization techniques. These activities were designed to nurture creativity and critical thinking in young minds. Through hands-on paper folding and engaging exercises, children explored patterns, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving in a fun and interactive way.
MSFDA WORKSHOP on DESIGN THINKING
I assisted in a Design Thinking workshop as part of the Maharashtra State Faculty Development Program (MSFDA), where faculty members from various regions of Maharashtra explored and experienced the Design Thinking process. The workshop focused on the five key stages of Design Thinking—Empathy (understanding user needs and emotions), Defining the Problem (clearly articulating the challenge), Ideation (brainstorming creative solutions), Prototyping (developing models or sketches), and Testing (evaluating and refining ideas). To apply these steps practically, participants worked on redesigning dustbins, analyzing existing challenges, and sketching new prototypes. This hands-on approach helped faculty members think innovatively and problem-solve creatively, equipping them with a fresh perspective that can enhance their teaching and learning methods. The workshop encouraged experimentation and iterative thinking, empowering educators to implement design-based problem-solving strategies in their respective fields. It was a valuable experience that demonstrated the power of human-centered design in education and beyond.
Exploring Birds in Our Backyard
Exploring Birds in Our Backyard
What makes a bird special? Feathers? Beak? Call?
Any guesses?
Let’s explore!
We observed various birds and learned about their daily routines—when they are most active and how they interact with their surroundings. We discovered that even the smallest birds have incredible abilities, from finding food to building nests. Observing them closely helped us understand their behavior and the important role they play in our ecosystem. This experience showed us how much we can learn from nature just by paying attention to the world around us.
Here are some birds found in our backyard
Asian Koel
Coppersmith Barbet
Koel (Male)
Mayna
Oriental Magpie-Robin
Red-Whiskered Bulbul
Ashy Prinia
Asian Green Bee-Eater
Black Kite
Red Vented Bulbul
Golden Oriole (Male)
Shikra
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