Chennai’s summer camps for children tackle financial literacy, animal welfare, weaving and more

Finance and emotional wellness

School of Life’s summer workshop has something for children that most millennials wish they had studied about in school — finance. Over 11 days, the summer workshop for children will have sessions on personal finance; understanding how stock markets work as well as confidence building; dealing with jomo (joy of missing out) and fomo (fear of missing out); and vision board-making.

“We were keen on including topics related to finance so that children have a head start with regard to this in life, and have experts from the field addressing them. Emotional wellness is important at a time when screens dominate our lives, and the other topics we focus on, will help them with peer pressure and regulating their emotions,” says Anjana Krishnaswamy, founder, School of Life. The workshop will conclude with a lunch at a luxury hotel in the city, where the participants can put into use the dining etiquette they will be learning at the workshop as well.

Lady Andal School, Harrington Road, Chennai from April 30 to May 10. For 7 to 11 years at 10am and 12 to 16 years at 3pm. Register at 9342182735 or follow @school_of_life.in on Instagram. 

Animals, awareness and empathy

Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD), home to several furry friends, will throw open its doors in May for a summer camp that will have children learn about the workings of a shelter, as well as develop awareness and empathy towards animals. 

“We will run two summer camps — one for children who have no exposure to animals and haven’t attended our previous camps and another for children who have attended our camps,” says Neeraja Venkateswaran, head of operations, BMAD. “The five-day camp for new participants will introduce them to how animal shelters work, the medical treatments offered here, rescue operations and what they can do if they see an injured animal, how we work with large domestic animals, and a session on wildlife awareness,” she explains. 

The participants will also learn about how they can use social media effectively to spread awareness about a host of topics; from rescues to how adopting pets will make a difference over buying from breeders. “The camp is not just about them learning about animals, but to encourage them to be responsible citizens and improve animal welfare,” Neeraja adds. 

BMAD, Sai Ram Colony, Besant Nagar. From May 2 to 6. WhatsApp 6383046989 for registrations and follow @besantmemorialanimaldispensary on Instagram.  

Weaving, printmaking and more

At Studio Vella’s quaint space in the city, children will delve into the arts with printmaking, paper crafts, weaving, graphite rendering, sketching, and more. Artist and textile designer Vellachi Ramanathan, who also teaches the Cambridge art and design curriculum in KC High, says that she works on developing self-expression and skill among children. “In contemporary art, textile and craft has a huge presence and is an important part of the camp. It also helps work on the motor skills of the children,” she says. 

Vellachi says that these also help address attention deficiency. “In weaving for instance, even if you skip one step, you will have to unravel and start from scratch. This will ensure children work slowly and with complete attention. They will have fun, and pick up basic and intermediate skills in these artforms,” she says. The camp will be conducted by her and two other teachers who are qualified in the visual arts. 

Studio Vella, 24 Arunachalam Road, Kotturpuram in three batches from April 21, May 12, and June 2 for ages 7 to 10. Contact 9840779026 for registrations. Follow @studiovella_ on Instagram.  

Board Games

Endless TV time and YouTube videos aside, Untangle, a Chennai-based board game cafe aims to make children experts at not just playing board games, but also creating their own one. 

“There are different categories of board games such as strategy games and auction games which children will be introduced to, and learn how to play better. Alongside this, they will work with each other on coming up with the idea and design for their own game,” says Subhatra Priyadarshini, co-founder, Untangle. 

Over the course of five days, children will get to play over 50 board games. Board game experts and designers will come in to guide the children on their board game prototypes, and Subhatra says they also want children to know more about the board game industry. “We believe in encouraging gadget-free time and have several adults come in to play board games for this, and that applies to children as well during our camps,” she adds. 

Untangle will also host a creativity summer camp which will have children try their hands at writing poems and story design, as well as a baking summer camp where they will try their hand at making cookies, cakes and cupcakes. 

Board Games camps are at Untangle, T Nagar from May 12 and Teynampet from May 26. WhatsApp 9840457056 for registrations. For details, follow @untangleindia on Instagram.  

Rowing in the Adyar river

Being able to set out on an early morning row down the Adyar river much before the heat takes over the city is what participants at Madras Boat Club’s annual rowing camp can gear up for. Having initiated several youngsters from the city into rowing over the last many years, the camp will take place over two batches this year. 

“The camp will serve as an introduction to a sport that is fairly niche. Open to all children aged 13 and above, they can pick up the basics and choose to stick on with the sport much after the camp has ended,” says Sumana Narayanan, vice captain of boats. Several participants who have picked up rowing at this summer camp, have gone onto compete in national events. “Rowing also inculcates discipline, hard work and leadership skills. Every person on the boat will have a part to play and they will learn to work together. The camp will train them physically and mentally,” Sumana adds.  Children are expected to have basic swimming knowledge. 

@Madras Boat Club from May 12 onwards for 13 to 21 years. Contact 9445395089 for registrations.