Summer Sparkle 2016: Summer Camp schedule for April ( ages 2 to 15 years)

Dear Parents,

We are excited to announce our Summer Camp schedule for the month of April 2016. Our summer programmes start April 4th 2016. Kindly go through our list below and pick and choose activities that your child will enjoy

We have around 8-9 fantastic workshops on offer and please note that the venue for our Summer Camp, free play and daycare in the month of April is our Koregaon Park annexe branch. . 

To register send us an email on gulmohardays@gmail.com and pay the fee either at our kalynai nagar or Koregaon Park branch offices. Looking forward :)

Week 1: April 4^th to 9^th ( Monday to Saturday)

Cookery Club (ages 3 to 6 years) : Salads, sandwiches, summer drinks and more….simple recipes and cooking skills for our Little ones as they rustle up dishes that don’t require them to use the gas or stove.

Dates: April 4^th to 8^th : Monday to Friday. Time: 9.30 am to 10.30 am

Tell Me a Story ( ages 3 to 6 years): A 45 minute story telling session that will bring alive books and legends from different parts of the globe. A great way to teach your child to love books, enhance vocabulary and communication skills.  

Dates: April 4^th to 8^th : Monday to Friday. Time: 10.30 am to 11.15 am Mentor: Mangalam Senthil, trained storyteller and book lover who loves reading to children. 

Cookery Club ( ages 7 to 10 years): Bake, whisk, chop and mince….a fun cookery workshop with recipes to take home. So girls and boys, put on your aprons and be there!

Dates: April 4^th to 8^th: Monday to Friday. Time : 11.15 am to 12.15 pm. 

Living History: (ages 8 to 16 years): A day trip for children to introduce them to the historical significance and beauty of Landmarks in Pune. This tour will take them to Aga Khan Palace and Shaniwarwada and help children enjoy their time there while appreciating a slice of history. Transport, guide and lunch will be provided by us.

Date: April 9^th, Saturday. 8 am reporting time. Drop off at 4.30 pm. More details will be provided at the time of registration. 

Week 2:  April 11^th to 16^th : Monday to Saturday

Shadow Puppetry Workshop: For Ages 2.5 to 5 years: April 11^th to 15^th: A  5 day theater workshop where children will create and play with puppets, explore size, shape and colour through shadow theater techniques.

Time: 9.30 am to 10.15 am Mentor: John Pradeep, faculty and trainer, Evam Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Chennai.  

Shadow Theater Workshop: For Ages 6 to 8 years: April 11^th to 15^th: A 5 day skill imparting theatre session which will enable the children to create something interesting with the help of their imagination through light and shadow forms. The children will learn different techniques of creating plays through shadow. 

Time: 10.15 am to 11.15 am Mentor: John Pradeep, faculty and trainer, Evam Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Chennai . 

Stage Entry Theater Workshop: For Ages 9 to 15 years:  April 11^th to 15^th : Introductory theater course which will enable the children to undergo the process of story/play creation and basic on stage techniques to create a play. Different concepts like Voice Modulation, Expressions and Theater Ethics will be covered during the 5 day session. 

Time: 11.30 am to 1.30 pm ( a two hour session) Mentor: John Pradeep, faculty and trainer, Evam Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Chennai.  

FREE PLAY HOURS: Children may enroll for free play and spend their time in our facility playing in the garden, sand pit, reading, listening to stories or playing board games between April 3^rd to 22^nd. Their time and free play activities will be monitored and executed by our day care teachers. Children must sign up for 10 hours of free play at a time and these hours must be used up by the 22^nd of April. Free play charges: Rs 1200/ for 10 hours.  Only for children ages 2.5 to 6 years.

Montessori Admissions Open 2016-2017

Story Club for Children

Dear Parents,

We are happy to announce the launch of our Story Club for children ages 3 to 7 years at Gulmohar Days, Kalyani Nagar .

Please note session details and timings below:

STORY CLUB ( ages 3 to 7 years)

Days: Every Thursday from the 1st of February 2016

Time: 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm

fee: Rs 800/ per month

Mentor: This club will be mentored by Sharanya Sriram. Sharanya is passionate about working with kids and has a natural flair for story telling. Having attended and trained with the Eric Miller story telling workshop, Sharanya has conducted several story sessions at leading bookstores in Chennai and Pune, Sharanya combines music,movement and puppets with her stories to engage her little audience. Sharanya is presently working with Gulmohar Days as a Montessori Toddler teacher.

Our Story sessions commence from the next week and are open to all children in the neighborhood. Pls do feel to pass this email to friends and family who might be keen. Registrations on a first come first served basis. Pls drop by at our school office or send us an email atgulmohardays@gmail.com to register.

Warm regards

Nandini Nair

The Winter Carnival at Gulmohar Days! Pick up your passes now :)

Summer Workshops at Gulmohar Days

Dear Parents,

Our Summer schedule is out! Finally!! :)

We have a Potpourri, cookery sessions, Djembe rhythm workshop and a magnificent theatre workshop on offer. kindly go through the details below for dates, time slots and fees:

April 6th-April 10th: PotPourri  (ages 3 to 6 years)

One whole week of summer fun for children ages 3 to 6 years. A great mix of craft, games, science experiments, cooking, water play, reading, and puzzles. And fabulous story sessions that will have the kids asking for more!!  

Timings: 9.30 am to 11.30 am, Monday to Friday

April 10th and 11th: Kids in Rhythm 

Taal Inc visits Gulmohar and introduces the magic of the djembe to children. 

A two day session that promises to be fun and gives the children a great insight into music, rhythm, creative movement and vocal expression. 

Dates April 10th and 11th, Friday and Saturday

Timings : ages 3 - 6 years, 11.30am to 12.30 pm .

               ages 7 - 9 years, 10.30 am to 11.30 am

Theatre Workshops at Gulmohar days

We are so excited to share that this summer we have invited faculty from Evam, India's foremost Performing Arts instituition from Chennai to conduct theatre workshops at our centre. Week long programs in store for kids ages 2 to 15! Details below:

Ages 2.5 yrs to 5 years: Shadow Theatre Workshop : A skill imparting theatre session which will enable the children to create something interesting with the help of their imagination through light and shadow forms. The children will learn different techniques of creating plays through shadow. 

Date and Time: April 13th to 17th : 9.30 am to 10.30 am

Ages 6 years to 8 years: Mime Workshop: The 5 day Mime workshop will give a great insight into the world of Mime and the basics. It will make the children undergo the different techniques of Mime by using body movements and expressions of story telling, giving basic lessons on Stage Manners and Ethics.

Date and Time: April 13th to 17th : 10.30 am to 11.45 am.

Ages 9 years to 14 years: Stage entry Workshop: Introductory theatre course which will enable the children to undergo the process of story/play creation and basic on stage techniques to create a play. Different concepts like Voice Modulation, Expressions and Theatre Ethics will be covered during the 5 day session. 

Date and Time: April 13th to 17th : 11.45 am to 1.15 pm.

April 13th to 17th: Little Chefs! : Cookery workshop for kids

A week long Cookery workshop that will help kids rustle up some healthy and delicious snacks...healthy wheat sandwiches, juices and salads that taste even better than sugary treats! Recipes included :)

Ages 6 to 10 years 9.30 am to 10.30 am

Ages 3 to 6 years 10.30 to 11.30 am

Please note we have a max of 15-18 enrollments in each session and registrations will be given on a first come first served basis. Feel free to call us on 9890530248 or send us an email on gulmohardays@gmail.com for further queries.

The workshops have been so organised that every child can attempt all sessions without any clash of schedules or timings. Looking forward to great weeks of summer fun!

Warm Regards

Nandini Nair

Summer Sparkle 2015: Kids in Rhythm!!

Announcing the first of our Summer Workshops....

Gulmohar Days and Taal Inc. bring you a two-day Kids in Rhythm Workshop this summer. April 10th and 11th.
 Ages 3 to 6 yrs from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm 
Ages 7 to 10 years from 10.30 am to 11.30 am. 
Pls email us on gulmohardays@gmail.com or call us on 91-7387096225 for registration details.

Christmas Carnival for kids at Gulmohar Days

Admissions Open for Academic Year June 2015

Its that time of the year again!! 

Admissions into the Montessori Toddler, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 programmes for the academic year June 2015 commence from Monday, the 1st of December 2014. Kindly contact the office on 9890530248 or write to us at gulmohardays@gmail.com to request for an appointment. Admissions will be on a first come basis. 

Age criteria:
Montessori Toddler: 2 years and above
Montessori Year 1: 3 years
Montessori Year 2: 4 years
Montessori Year 3: 5 years

Thank You!

The Call of the Mountains

Thirteen year old Dhwani spent an evening with our Trinity Communication Skills students, describing her arduous but triumphant climb to the Everest Base Camp. It was an interesting question answer session and we are particularly pleased to share a little feature on Dhwani that some of our students penned down. Makes for great and interesting reading, especially when children write about each other!! May you all always celebrate each others successes!

Tanushree Golhar

For almost a fortnight, little determined specks dotted the magnificent veil of white which shimmered in the soft and feeble morning sunlight. Passionate trekker, Dhwani Shrotriya, spent the evening sharing her views on the life among the pure and soothing atmosphere of the Himalayan ranges.

The immense support of her parents and her six months long  tough training and hard work is what helped her successfully complete this exhilarating escapade . Packed with goods like foreclaz trekking shoes , jackets ,dry fruits and most importantly faith , she set off from Kathmandu to a village called Lukla by a tiny jet after which her trek actually started.

With twenty eight other people, including her father, she faced the undergrowth of pine cone forests , rocks and then thick snow .According to Dhwani, the mules ,yaks and jobgyos were a great help. She also extends great thanks to the sherpas without whose help the trip would have been even more perilous . Dhwani says that everyday was a new challenge. Everyday the slope grew steeper and an overwhelming tiredness seized her. No bridges ,slippery ice and sense of danger every where but the thought of reaching there kept her going .Her frozen knees , breathlessness at night and the sense of nausea made her feel uncomfortable every now and then . Her throat yearned for WARM water and HOT soothing food. But her strong will shielded her against all negative thoughts.

Dhwani also says that the mountains are definitely a beautiful place and that she would love to go back there again. The serene nature and tranquillizing scenes fascinated her. She went there representing her school , The Bishops School , and came back making her school , her parents and everyone proud.

Dhwani shares that, one of the best moments were when she and her group sang the school song and the Indian national anthem on reaching the base camp. There was a wave of satisfaction within them. Today Dhwani greatly misses the mountains and the silence there. Lastly she shares ,'' Positivity, respect for nature and to value what we have got are the three main life lessons I have learnt.'' She says that the silence and peace there greatly fascinated  her because ''where there is silence there is magnificence.''

Ananya Chaure

It all began with the 150 year celebration of the Bishops school. Here was it…..Dhwani’s chance to have her name etched in the glorious history of Bishops. A mountaineering expedition to Everest base camp was being organized by her school. Encouraged by her supportive parents, 13 year old Dhwani began her arduous journey towards reaching her destination.  

How does one prepare for the Everest? For Dhwani it was climbing up and down thirty floors a day. Not to mention squats, jogs, walking five kilometers and a six month training session!

Finally, D-day! Dhwani and her father set off for the long trek to base camp.

They began from the small town of Lukla in Nepal where they took a Donnyair to Kathmandu. Dhwani was very excited on her first day of trekking. But at the end of the day, she was more than happy to retire to her sleeping bag. Dhwani and the rest of her group crossed numerous valleys and faced great challenges at night. It was difficult to go to the toilet behind a rock every fifteen minutes. Yes, you heard me right. Due to the Acute Mountain Sickness medicine she had taken, she had to respond to the call of nature every fifteen minutes. Having to consume seven litres of water every day and using a pyush to purify the water wasn’t easy either. Many times Dhwani felt like giving up. But her father’s encouragement and her mental strength kept her going. After eleven days of trekking, they had finally reached! The exhilarating view took everybody’s breath away. Bright sunlight plastered the mountains in a golden hue. The Bishopites then sang the national anthem and their school song.

After nearly having walked off a cliff and dealing with 5364 m, Dhwani has returned wiser and stronger. And answering the question we have all waited for with bated breath, Dhwani will definitely be climbing Mt. Everest one day.

Aarushi Dhanuka

Is it tiring climbing 10 floors without a break? But for Dhwani, it is just “child’s play”!

An 8th grader, Dhwani Shrotriya just 13 years of age decided to go on a trek to the Everest Base Camp because of her love and passion for trekking. She had  truly been practicing wholeheartedly for 6 months by climbing 30 floors non-stop and doing squats. Not only that, she had also gone on many treks with her grandfather before this in and around pune. ”To trek, anybody can train & become physically fit, but overcoming your fears & becoming mentally fit is the real challenge”, she says.

They left with a group of 29 people. The trek started from a small town named Lukla from where they took a jet to Kathmandu. ”I was all excited & energetic on the first day but by the end of the trip I was very tired” shares Dhwani. The trek lasted for 11 days . Dhwani also shares some challenging experiences. Dhwani and her group  had to sleep in the tiny tea houses and very often by midnight their knees froze and Dhwani was so breathless she could hardly sleep. Dhwani also shares, ” it was made a rule for us that we had to drink at least 7 litres of water even if we were not thirsty.”

For Dhwani this trek was more than just a trek it taught her a life lesson to be positive & respect nature as in front of nature we are all very small and weak  and also to value whatever you have. 

Rishi Lahoti

Dhwani Shrotriya, a teenager in her earliest year, made it big by climbing the Everest Base Camp 1 week ago. Dhwani, who always loved trekking, had invariably wanted to climb Mt. Everest. When the opportunity to conquer the Everest Base Camp came, she didn’t waste a second to pounce on the opportunity.

Her 6 month strenuous training included jogging 5km per day and running up and down 30 floors without breaking a sweat. Her team comprised of 29 people, the youngest being Dhwani and the oldest being her dad. Her parents gave her all the support she needed and when she and her dad left for the Everest Base Camp, little did they know that their lives were about to be turned upside down.

On the first couple of days, Dhwani and her team had to fight themselves through pinecone forests. Only on the last day or two did they experience snow. They had to eat chocolates and potatoes all along for quick energy. All their stuff was carried by sherpaboys and yaks. Dhwani said that she felt like giving up one day before reaching the Everest Base Camp but when her father gave her her pep talk and rekindled her flame, she was ready to climb Mt. Everest itself! She said that the weather at the night was horrible and all of a sudden they would start getting breathless and nauseous. They would trek the whole day and would rest at a small motel for the night. The whole trek lasted for 11 days.

After returning to Pune, she actually missed the mountains. But what she missed the most was the silence. Only when she came back home did she realise how big a racket we humans create. Dhwani said that she would love to do this trek again. She learnt 3 important things on the trek-Be positive, value what you have and respect nature. So if Dhwani Shrotriya’s name comes along in the Guinness world record book, don’t be surprised!