Old Textbooks, New Life: Paper Mache workshop by Himanshu Joshi
This month, our students finally got a solution to the mounting pile of old and torn textbooks in their school backyards and store rooms. Mr .Himanshu Joshi and Vinod Gosavi of Bhavans College, Mumbai, paper mache experts came to the rescue to show the students a few tricks with their old textbooks.
Ahoy, Third Pole E-Base!
On our second anniversary at the E-Base Pench, we would like to introduce our E-Base to the students at the Third Pole E-Base in Leh.
The Third Pole E-Base which was set up in August, 2013 is the third E-Base in the world. Once again, an E- Base set up in India! With an E-Base in Antarctica, two in India and many more in the pipeline around the world, a network of global environmental leaders connected through the E-Bases is no longer a distant dream.
Our students wished to virtually bring the students of Leh into their special green educational space and this is a shout out to all at the Third Pole E-Base on this very special day for all of us in Pench.
Wonders with Waste: Workshop by Green the Gap
Perhaps one of the biggest elephants in the room, waste, was literally welcomed to the E-Base this workshop. To introduce students to waste and its hazards, Green the Gap jumped in to share a little of their knowledge with our students at the E-Base.
The Organic Diaries- Step 10: The End of Summer Plants
Our beautiful Bhindi and Barbati plants served their purpose. Our Midday Meal Kitchen in the shcool absorbed all the produce of our organic patch (off course, the produce that remains after the students eat the raw bhindi! Yes, we know what you’re think, raw Bhindi? But, the students love it! We think it has something to do with the sweetness in vegetables when grown organically.)
Barbati coming to an end.
The Composting Diaries: The Set up
As part of our E-Base program for the year, we have taken it upon ourselves to not only go organic, but also be sustainable! Here’s introducing our second project for the year-
Kohka Middle School now has a very exciting addition- a compost unit!
The Organic Diaries- Step 9: Dealing with the nasty weather
At this moment, we are more than just blue. We are borderline furious! Our second attempt at the Palak and Methi plants got nullified by terribly untimely rain in October. We thought we had left the monsoon behind in September, but it was just lurking around the corner.
The Spinach looking not so very good.
The Imitators: Workshop on Biomimicry by Reniscience Education
Nature is our biggest teacher and this week the students learnt just that. Humans have always knowingly or unknowingly looked at nature for inspiration for designs.
Simply Science: Workshop by TIFR
To introduce students in schools at the Karmajhiri side of the Pench Tiger reserve to simple scientific concepts, professors from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) conducted a hand- on entertaining workshop.
Season Watch Induction at E-Base
Season Watch is an initiative to compile a nationwide database on seasonal patterns across India. With climate change modifying our seasonal patterns around the world, Season Watch is an attempt to map these changes through observation of trees.
This year, our very enthusiastic Nature Club will be monitoring the trees in their schools as part of the Season Watch program. A job that takes only 5 minutes a week has multifold implications in the world of biological sciences. Once our students accurately record their data on the trees, Season Watch’s scientists analyse it to understand the bigger question of seasonal changes around India.
Ashish Shah addressing the students.
The Organic Diaries- Step 8: The Repetition
One would think the failure of half of the patch would bring the morale of our students down. We were expecting some very upset students. However, it turns out our students know how to take things in their stride.
Starting all over again .. but with happy face!
