Young Naturalist Camp

About Udaan Learning Center:

Udaan Learning Center is an initiative of Kumud Bhushan Educational Society; it is a place for experiential and hands-on learning opportunities. Our activities help develop critical thinking and a curiosity in the mind. Our aim is to help children grow up as thinking and aware citizens of society. The pedagogy includes discussions through workshops, art, movies, games, and other means of teaching.

Our regular effort in sensitizing children towards the environment includes workshops and camps. We help them explore the natural world and understand its biodiversity, and recognize the sheer abundance of other life forms that exist on this planet.

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About the camp:

This camp provides a mesmerizing experience of exploring, discovering and studying life sciences in a natural ecosystem.

Children often perceive Life Sciences as a difficult subject that requires immense rote learning. However, they need to experience the natural abundance by being in nature rather than in a classroom. Once students find out about the delicate balance with which our ecosystem functions, they will begin to care for and appreciate the existence of all life on earth.

In these 6 days of this camp, children will observe nature from a scientific lens and try to understand the beautifully woven web of interdependence in which no one living being inclusion humans are more important than the other. This experience will also help children consider becoming a naturalist, a biologist, or even in the future.

Above all, the camp provides the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, values, and motivation necessary to become environmentally-responsible citizens – all in a playful manner. Our pedagogy brings an opportunity for a child to build critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills; they help young people to form a bond with the natural world, encouraging them to be better custodians of the landscape.

Key Features/ Highlights of the camp

• Exploratory nature walks and treks: Children will get a considerable amount of time close to natural ecosystems while making free-minded and guided observation.

• Mushroom foraging with respect to understanding the world of fungi in our ecosystem. Identifying poisonous, edible and medicinal mushrooms (This will be a guided experience, children will not be allowed to consume mushrooms from the wild, during this camp). Mushroom cultivation with local materials.

• A magnified view - Using Eye Loupe Lenses and microscope is perhaps the biggest asset to any budding naturalist to explore the magnified world of microorganisms, flowers, plants, and insects.

• Museum - Participants also get a chance to see our biodiversity collection that includes hundreds of things from the forests of Palampur! And create one of their own.

• Anthropocene – An introduction to the idea of anthropocentricity vs. eco-centricity. Meaningful Conversations about Interdependence and Human Intervention.

• The entire workshop helps weave an image in the minds of participants that describes the vast and beautiful web of interdependence that all creatures have on one another. We also discuss ways in which humans have changed the natural course of this planet and all life forms on it.

• Watching movies and documentaries to strengthen our understanding.

• Lots more fun and learning will emerge from the energies that children would bring together.

About the facilitators

Vikram: Vikram Singh is an avid Life Sciences enthusiast and a self-trained naturalist, with a special interest in insects. In 2017, he started a project called Life Meets the Lens that attempts to encourage people to explore the natural world and witness its remarkable biodiversity. He is a National Geographic Explorer and uses his self created nature museum to share the story of different life forms that exist around us. He transfers his knowledge and love for nature to people through his initiative ‘Life Meets The Lens’

Life meets the Lens (Facebook) Video of the camp

Shrey Gupta: Shrey is helping people build harmony between self & nature while collectively exploring the hidden world of microbes. Currently, he helps people to grow mushrooms at home and help them switch to a chemical free lifestyle. He also helps connect people with nature through biodiversity, mushroom foraging and identification.

Fatema C: Fatema is an environmentalist. She is the ex-coordinator at Udaan Learning Center and has been organizing environmental consciousness camps for the past 6 years.

Who is the workshop for: This camp is specifically designed for children interested in diving deep into the natural world to understand the life sciences and are fascinated with the mesmerizing discovery of the life of a living organism.

Language: A mix of English and Hindi

Suggested Contribution: The expected contribution towards workshop is 8,500/- for 6 days which includes food, accommodation, material, facilitation and travel expense during the camp if any.

To register please fill the application form here: [Click Here]

For more information write to clc@sambhaavnaa.org, or Call on 6230939798

Venue: Udaan Learning Center (Sambhaavnaa Institute campus) at VPO Kandbari, Tehsil Palampur, District Kangra, PIN 176061

How to reach: [Click Here]